LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CAL1FORHTA 
DAVIS 


FREE  AT  LAST 


By  MRS.  JANE  S.  COLLINS 


Author  of  "Emma's  Triumph"  and  other  Stories, 
Etc.,  Etc. 


PITTSBURGH  : 

PRESS  OF  MURDOCH,  KERR  &  Co.,  INCORPORATED, 

53  AND  55  NINTH  STREET, 

1896 


LIBRARY 

ITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

DAVIS 


COPYRIGHTED    1898 

BY  MRS.  JANE  S.  COLLINS. 


Txx  Itoe 
^ttoilisr  xrf  a 
sen,  tulrfl  gaw^  Iris  lif^  tlrat 

might  trt  fr^e,  this  book  is 
aff£jeiifl«a:tetg  xitxiirzittxi  bg  t 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 

TN  presenting  this  book  to  the  public,  no 
•*•  apology  is  offered  for  selecting,  as  my 
themes,  subjects  that  have  been  used  over 
and  over  again.  The  slave  problem  is 
settled,  but  the  drink  is  still  an  unsolved 
question  before  the  American  people. 

My  interest  in  the  colored  people  dates 
from  early  childhood,  at  the  family  altar, 
where  the  Father  of  Mercies  was  daily  asked, 
"  That  the  yoke  might  be  broken,  and  the 
oppressed  go  free." 

In  the  National  Era  I  read  to  my  father 
the  stirring  speeches  of  Congressmen,  and  I 
heard  the  subject  of  slavery  discussed  in  the 
pulpit  and  on  the  platform.  At  the  open 
ing  of  the  war  I  saw  the  gathering  forces  on 
the  border  land ;  heard  the  cry,  "  To  arms"; 
visited  the  sick  in  the  hospital  ;  made  shirts 


and  scraped  lint  for  the  wounded.  I  rejoice 
that  my  father's  family  would  not  accept  of 
slaves  left  them,  but  set  them  free. 

To-day,  the  stars  and  stripes  float  over 
"this  land  of  the  free  and  home  of  the 
brave"  more  united  than  ever,  through  suf 
fering. 

Scarcely  had  this  war-cloud  passed  over 
when  the  gathering  forces  of  women,  as  well 
as  men,  engaged  in  a  mighty  conflict  with  a 
more  terrible  foe.  Mothers  and  sisters 
kneeled  on  curb-stones,  pleading  for  pro 
tection  to  their  boys  from  the  saloon.  The 
eloquent  Gough,  and  gentle  women  pleaded 
in  their  behalf. 

The  cry  comes  from  the  millions  of  Anglo- 
Africans  at  our  doors,  in  the  South  land, 
"Come  over  and  help  us."  Shall  they  be 
evangelized  and  raised  to  a  higher  plane  of 
civilization  ? 

To  assist  in  this  work,  is  the  design  of 
this  little  book. 

J.  S.  C. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  NEW  LIFE,     .        .        .       .       '.-      .      9 

CHAPTER  II. 
IMPROVING  OPPORTUNITIES,   .        ,        .        .31 

CHAPTER  III. 
A  NEW  TRIAL  AND  TEMPTATION,          .        .     39 

CHAPTER  IV. 
BUOYANT  WITH  HOPE,  .        .        .      '  .        .     57 

CHAPTER  V. 
GEORGE  VISITS  WASHINGTON,       .        .        .     71 

CHAPTER  VI. 
MRS.  HAYES'  EXAMPLE,        .        .        .        .    94 

CHAPTER  VII. 
CABINET  DINNER,  .        «        .  '*     *        .        .107 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
HOMEWARD  BOUND,  .   124 


CHAPTER  IX. 
A  MILLION  AND  A  HALF  VOTERS,        .        .131 

CHAPTER  X. 

AN  EDUCATED  MINISTRY  NEEDED,     \.:.       .  149 

CHAPTER  XL 
PURITY  IN  HOME  LIFE,         .      -.        .        .  153 

CHAPTER  XII. 
UNFULFILLED  PROMISES,        ..  -J     .        .        .158 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
WOMEN  HELPERS,        •.        •  ••'.'••    ."...       •  164 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
USEFUL  TRADES  AND  DOMESTIC  SCIENCE,     .  172 

CHAPTER  XV. 

AN  ELOQUENT  ADDRESS,       .     '  .   ...•••;  .     .179 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
THREATS,       .        .       \.        .        .        .        .  194 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
SCHEME  OF  WICKED  MEN  THWARTED,         .  197 

FREE  AT  LAST! 


ILLUSTRATIONS, 


FRONTISPIECE — THE  FREEDMEN. 

REV.  JOSEPH  G.  McKEE,     .        .        .  .17 

MCKEE  SCHOOL  HOUSE,         .       .        .  27 

POSSIBLE  STATESMAN,          .        .        .  .      37 

GEORGE  GOING  TO  TEACH  SCHOOL,      v  56 

GOES  TO  COLLEGE,      ...        .  .      69 
AT  WASHINGTON,  AT  PRESIDENT  GARFIELD'S 

FUNERAL,     .        .     -. .        .        .   .     .  81 

MRS.  LUCY  WEBB  HAYES,          . .        .  .       99 

HON.  FRED  DOUGLASS,           .     -  .      ,.  91 

LIBERTY  MONUMENT,   .        .'.,..  .     115 

HON.  HENRY  BLAIR,       .        .        /       .  119 

WENDELL  PHILLIPS,     .        .        .        .  135 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,         ^       .        .        .  161 

MRS.  MARY  A.  WOODBRIDGE,     .        .  165 

OCEAN  GROVE,  N.  J.,       .;•.  •<     .    •   -..  •  .     183 

CLINTON  B.  FISKE,          %        .        .        ..'  l89 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    NEW    LIFE. 

4'  Thine  eye  hath  seen  the  bondsman's  tear; 
Thine  ear  hath  heard  the  bondsman's  prayer." 

—  Whittier. 

"Ise  berry  happy  dis  ebenin";  said 
Sam,  with  a  broad  grin  on  his  face. 

"  What  makes  yo'  so  happy  ?  " 

Sam  paused  a  moment,  and  sitting 
down  in  his  chair,  said:  "Yo'  see,  Percy, 
Ise  a  free  man.  I  calls  no  man  massa 
now.  I  kin  cum  an'  go  as  I  please. 
Aint  dat  enuft  ? 

"I  reckon  it  is,  Sam  ;  I  likes  dat,  too, 
but  I  don't  likes  hevin  nuffin  ;  to  be 
poah.  I  tho't  dat  freedom  meant  a 


IO  Free  at  Last. 

piece  of  Ian',  an'  flouah  in  de  bar'l,  an' 
a  heap  ob  bacon  ;  but  dis  chile  haint 
seed  none  of  it  yit." 

"It  is  mighty  hard  to  be  sot  down 
widout  a  picayune  in  yo'  pocket,  an'  no 
massa  ter  look  ter  ter  'sply  de  chick 
ens.  'Spose  we'll  hev  ter  scratch  fur 
ourselves  now/' 

"I,'spose.  I've  allus  worked  hard  an' 
kin  do  it  agin;  but  I  likes  ter  hev  suthin' 
fur  my  work,  don't  yo?" 

"Laws  yes,  an'  plenty  ob  it,  too." 

These  men  were  among  the  poorest 
of  the  freedmen  at  Nashville,  Tenn. 
Like  many  others,  they  thought  the 
Government  had  land  for  them,  and 
when  they  did  not  get  it,  were  disap 
pointed.  They  did  not  realize  that  the 
Government  had  a  big  contract  on 
hand,  and  that  it  would  take  time  to  ad 
just  matters. 


The  New  Life.  II 

The  freedom  of  four  millions  of  slaves, 
and  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  were 
achievements  not  to  be  despised.  How 
the  freedmen  would  live,  was  an  after 
thought.  War  was  the  Nation's  cruel 
way  of  throwing  off  the  yoke  which 
bound  these  human  beings  in  slavery. 

It  took  money  as  well  as  time  and 
lives  to  carry  on  the  war  which  freed 
them.  For  centuries  the  prayers  and 
tears  of  this  poor,  oppressed  people 
had  gone  up  before  the  Lord,  and  he 
heard  them.  No  longer  were  they  to 
be  bought  and  sold,  as  cattle  and  horses 
in  the  stalls.  They  were  free  to 
think  and  act  for  themselves  ;  but  free 
dom  brought  poverty  and  great  suf 
fering. 

Hardly  had  Mr.  Lincoln  issued  the 
proclamation  when  thousands  of  those 


12  Free  at  Last. 

poor  creatures  left  the  places  they 
called  home,  some  to  find  transporta 
tion  by  the  army  to  a  safe  retreat, 
others  to  join  the  ranks  of  soldiers,  to 
help  free  themselves.  Many  crowded 
the  cities,  hoping  to  find  something  to  do. 

The  United  States  Government  fur 
nished  some  rations ;  but  with  it  all, 
there  was  great  destitution  among 
them.  Many  died  from  starvation. 
Everything  was  in  a  chaotic  state  ; 
both  armies  left  ruin  in  their  path. 

During  General  Thomas'  occupancy 
of  Nashville  many  found  shelter  there. 
They  erecled  small  shanties,  with  sel 
dom  anything  but  the  earth  for  floors, 
in  the  center  of  which  they  drove  stakes 
and  hung  cross-bars  of  iron  for  the  ket 
tles,  in  which  they  cooked  their  meals. 
A  dozen  would  crowd  into  a  small 


The  New  Life.  13 

room,  where  all  ate  and  slept.  A  little 
straw  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  and  an 
army  blanket  served  for  a  bed  for  all 
the  family.  This  description  is  given, 
that  the  reader  may  have  some  idea  of 
their  extreme  destitution. 

Many  were  very  ignorant,  having 
been  neglected  by  those  who  should 
have  taken  an  interest  in  them.  But 
ignorant  as  they  were  of  books,  they 
knew  what  freedom  meant.  At  night 
they  gathered  in  their  miserable  quarters 
and  sang  their  plantation  songs,  which 
often  inspired  them  with  hope  in  the  fu 
ture,  and  they  were  happy. 

Every  day  brought  new  recruits. 
Loved  ones  long  separated,  in  time 
found  each  other ;  then  there  was  rejoic 
ing,  and  the  scanty  fare  was  shared  in 
common. 


14  Free  at  Last. 

Among  the  children  were  many 
bright,  intelligent  ones,  whose  great 
need  was  something  to  educate  and  ele 
vate,  and  make  them  useful  men  and 
women.  To  reach  these  with  Chris 
tianizing  influences,  the  Church  imme 
diately  set  to  work. 

The  Government  could  not  long  con 
tinue  to  help  them,  or  enter  into  any 
great  scheme  to  ameliorate  their  condi 
tion.  The  vast  expense  of  the  war 
made  this  impossible.  It  would  take 
time  and  means  to  accomplish  a  change 
among  them.  Something  would  have 
to  be  done  to  improve  them  morally 
and  socially.  This  was  needed  for  self- 
protection,  if  for  no  other  reason. 
Their  habits  were  bad  ;  many  were  lazy 
and  shiftless,  and  needed  to  be  taught. 
Long  accustomed  to  lean  on  others, 


The  New  Lije.  15 

they  had  not  learned  lessons  of  self-reli 
ance  and  self-help.  If  to-day  they  had 
"hoe  cake  and  bacon,"  they  were  sat 
isfied  ;  they  had  no  thought  for  the  fu 
ture.  Kind  people,  North,  whose  pray 
ers  for  years  had  been  for  "liberty  to 
the  captives,"  were  ready  and  waiting 
to  help  them.  Teachers  were  sent  to 
instruct  them  in  temporal  and  spiritual 
things.  The  American  Missionary  As 
sociation,  founded  in  1846,  anticipating 
the  need,  opened  Sabbath  and  day 
schools  among  them ;  cabins  and  the 
deserted  mansions  being  used  for  this 
purpose. 

Thus  early  some  were  taught  the 
way  of  life,  and  the  occupations  neces 
sary  to  their  elevation  and  future  use 
fulness.  Of  the  church  organizations, 
the  United  Presbyterian  has  the  honor 


1 6  Free  at  Last. 

of  being  among,  if  not  the  very  first,  to 
send  teachers  to  the  freedmen.  In 
1862-3  they  opened  schools  at  Good 
rich  Landing,  Miss.,  and  Nashville, 
Tenn.  Young  men  and  women  of  cul 
ture,  with  the  true  missionary  spirit  and 
devotion,  left  pleasant  homes  to  go  to 
the  South  and  labor  in  this  most  noble 
work.  Through  their  persevering  ef 
forts  great  good  was  accomplished. 

A  pioneer  teacher,  Rev.  Joseph  G. 
McKee,  whose  life  was  sacrificed  in  his 
effort  to  improve  the  condition  of  the 
freedmen,  suffered  many  privations. 
He  organized  the  work  when  it  was 
very  unpopular.  People  pointed  the 
finger  of  scorn  at  him  on  the  streets. 
Often  he  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head, 
being  compelled  to  sleep  under  army 
wagons,  in  stable  lofts,  in  the  rough 


REV.  JOSEPH  G.  McKEE, 


NOVEMBER  IOTH,  1832,  AT  ANAHILT,  COUNTY  DOWN, 
IRELAND, 


The  New  Life.  19 

cabins  of  these  poor  people,  or  wher 
ever  he  could  find  a  resting  place. 
Once  he  found  forty-two  persons  in  one 
small  room,  without  a  chimney,  cooking 
their  meals  on  stones  and  bricks  in  the 
center  of  the  floor.  Among  them  were 
sick  women  and  poor,  weakly  children, 
without  food,  or  fire  to  cook  their  meals, 
or  keep  them  warm.  He  often  cut 
"wood,  carried  it  on  his  back  in  par 
cels,  and  distributed  it  to  the  suffer 
ing."  The  untold  hardships  he  en 
dured  among  the  thousands  of  "contra 
bands,"  who  came  to  Nashville  for  shel 
ter,  will  never  be  known.  With  the 
temperature  at  six  degrees  below  zero 
and  wood  at  $40  a  cord,  there  was 
great  suffering. 

This  faithful  friend  of  the  slave  never 
faltered,  though   the  difficulties    he   en- 


2O  Free  at  Last. 

countered  would  have  crushed  many. 
Without  a  murmur  or  a  complaint  he 
calmly  trusted  his  cause  to  the  God 
whom  he  served,  and  who  gave  him 
grace  to  bear  all  his  trials.  But  the  ex 
posure  was  too  much  for  him  ;  he  con- 
tracled  a  cold  which  brought  on  repeat 
ed  hemorrhages,  causing  great  weak 
ness.  As  he  went  about  ministering  to 
the  wants  of  the  freedmen,  they  said  of 
him,  "  Massa  'Kee  is  an  angel  jis  cum 
down  frum  Heben,  to  help  us  in  our 
time  of  need."  He  was  a  cheerful, 
happy  man,  kind  alike  to  friends  and 
foes  ;  and  when  forced  to  lay  down  this 
grand  work,  so  dear  to  his  heart,  thou 
sands  mourned. 

Mr.  McKee  believed  a  bright  future 
awaited  the  colored  race,  and  to  this 
end  inaugurated  reforms  in  the  schools. 


The  New  Life.  21 

Being  a  member  of  the  City  Council  he 
secured  the  passage  of  a  law  requiring 
the  City  Board  of  Education  to  assume 
the  supervision  of  six  schools,  taught  in 
what  was  called  the  McKee  school 
building  in  Nashville.  His  teachers, 
who  passed  examination,  were  paid  the 
same  as  teachers  in  the  other  public 
schools  of  the  city.* 

It  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  see  the 
local  laws  so  changed  that  a  man  or 
woman  could  teach  a  negro,  without  be 
ing  fined  fifty  dollars  in  the  courts,  or 
being  threatened  with  hanging  by  the 
mob. 

He  began  to  realize  his  ideal  when  he 
gathered  a  room  full  of  boys  and  girls 
into  a  Normal  Class  for  instruction,  and 
opened  a  training  school  for  girls  and 

*Diary. 


22  Free  at  Last. 

women  to  be  taught  knitting  and  sew 
ing.  "  He  won  for  this  work  the  sup 
port  of  the  city." 

He  gave  five  years  of  faithful  service 
to  this  worthy  work  for  the  Master. 
When  he  died  the  cause  of  temperance, 
social  purity  and  education  generally, 
lost  an  able  champion.  But  his  works 
follow  him.  Many  now  rise  up  and  call 
him  blessed. 

When  he  left  his  father's  house  in  Ire 
land,  a  lone  boy  of  sixteen,  to  come  to 
America,  his  friends  wondered.  Though 
he  knew  not  its  nature,  he  had  a  mission 
of  great  good  to  poor,  oppressed  hu 
manity.  He  longed  to  do  something  to 
lift  up  the  degraded  from  darkness  and 
sensuality  to  light,  purity  and  useful 
ness.  His  mission  included  the  salvation 
of  men  from  the  drink  slavery  which 


The  New  Life.  23 

threatened  them.  His  first  school  was 
opened  in  September,  1863.  He  after 
ward  occupied  a  building  called  the  Mc- 
Kee  School,  erected  by  the  churches, 
near  the  now  famous  Fiske  University, 
named  in  honor  of  its  founder,  Clinton 
B.  Fiske.  Church  and  Sabbath  school 
services  were  held  every  Lord's  day. 
Old  and  young  were  taught  to  read  and 
study  the  Bible.  Gray-haired  men  and 
women  wept  with  joy  when  first  they 
read  the  name  of  " Jesus,"  "Master," 
etc.  At  last  the  long-looked-for  day  had 
come  when  they  could  read  God's  own 
book,  and  they  were  happy. 

One*  who  labored  for  a  time  with  Mr. 
McKee,  says  :  "  Another  work,  but 
closely  akin  to  that  for  the  freedmen, 
was  for  the  prisoners  in  the  penitentiary. 

*Rev.  S.  Collins,  D.  D. 


24  Free  at  Last. 

Probably  three-fourths  of  six  or  seven 
hundred  there  were  colored  men,  ex 
slaves,  against  whom  there  was  an  im 
placable  prejudice.  They,  and  too  often 
their  white  friends,  on  the  slightest  pre 
text,  were  consigned  to  hard  labor  and  to 
the  cruelties  of  heartless  prison-labor- 
contraclors.  This  gratified  both  the  race 
prejudice  among  the  whites,  and  the  love 
of  money  on  the  part  of  the  contractors, 
who  made  fortunes  out  of  convicl  labor. 
Mr.  McKee  seeing  and  pitying  these 
poor  unfortunates,  with  the  consent  of 
the  more  humane  prison  warden,  in 
1868  organized  in  the  penitentiary  a 
Sabbath  school,  in  which  some  two  or 
three  hundred  convicls  readily  took 
part.  Some  very  efficient  teachers  were 
secured  from  among  them.  Souls  were 
there  "'born  again"  and  trained  for 
Christ  and  for  glory.  From  this  has 


The  New  Life.  25 

largely  grown  the  more  efficient  moral 
training  now  generally  prevalent  in  the 
larger  prisons  and  reformatories  of  our 
own  and  other  Protestant  countries. 

"  Another  step  taken  by  Mr.  McKee 
in  the  prison  work,  was  the  organization 
of  a  prayer-meeting  among  the  convicls 
— the  only  one  of  the  kind  we  have  ever 
known.  The  proposition  (made  by  a 
friend,  March,  1868,)  at  first  appeared 
visionary  and  impracticable  ;  but  it  was 
tried.  The  poor  prisoners  at  first  shrank 
from  it.  But  some  there  had  taken 
Christ's  yoke  upon  them — a  few  before, 
but  more  since  coming  within  those 
walls,  and  these  agreed  to  and  did  take 
part  in  the  devotions  of  that  prayer- 
meeting.  For  years  it  was  well  at 
tended  and  bore  fruit.  At  one  time  it 

was  said  that  not  less  than  a  hundred 
3 


26  Free  at  Last. 

and  fifty  different  persons  would  lead  in 
prayer  whenever  called  upon,  a  grand 
testimonial  to  the  Christian  faithfulness 
of  that  humble,  most  diligent  and  de 
voted  servant  of  God,  Rev.  Jos.  G.  Mc- 
Kee.  He  was  small  in  stature  and 
feeble  in  body  ;  but  strong  in  faith  he 
overcame  the  world,  and  now  wears  a 
crown  of  victory  with  many  gems,  to  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 

Thousands  gathered  into  the  schools, 
their  ages  ranging  from  5  to  50,  all  eager 
and  thankful  to  learn.  Those  otherwise 
employed  during  the  day,  attended  the 
night  schools,  some  walking  several 
miles  to  do  this.  Their  homespun  cloth 
ing,  never  very  good,  was  often  so  worn 
and  torn  that  it  could  no  longer  be 
patched.  Kind  friends  North,  who  sent 
them  teachers,  also  sent  boxes  of  new 


The  New  Life.  29 

and  second-hand  clothing  by  the  ton,  to 
be  distributed  among  them.  All  able 
to  earn  a  little  were  required  to  pay  a 
nominal  price  for  good  suits,  thus  teach 
ing  them  habits  of  honesty  and  inde 
pendence.  At  the  same  time  it  fur 
nished  a  fund  with  which  other  clothing 
and  material,  not  supplied  in  boxes, 
could  be  procured. 

The  kind  men  and  women,  whose 
love  to  do  good  led  them  to  leave 
friends  and  home  to  labor  among  them, 
received  but  little  sympathy  from  the 
whites  around  them.  There  was  odium 
connected  with  teaching  the  freedmen. 
Many  of  the  freedmen  themselves  looked 
with  suspicion  on  those  who  went  to 
teach  them.  Nor  were  the  sufferings 
and  privations  of  teachers  realized  or 
rewarded  as  they  should  have  been. 


3O  Free  at  Last. 

t 

Still  they  went  in  and  out  of  the  rude 
cabins  of  their  scholars,  carrying  aid  and 
cheer  to  the  living,  and  ministering 
spiritual  comfort  to  the  sick  and  dying. 
Women,  often  the  greatest  sufferers, 
were  taught  to  accept  their  lot,  and 
cheered  with  the  hope  that  a  better  day 
was  coming. 

A  marked  change  was  soon  visible 
among  them.  Adults  and  children  im 
proved  every  way.  The  education  given 
was  practical,  not  head  culture  only,  but 
heart  and  hand  as  well.  They  were 
taught  to  reverence  and  obey  God  as 
supreme,  and  next  their  parents  and 
teachers. 


CHAPTER  II. 

IMPROVING    OPPORTUNITIES. 

In  one  of  the  schools  for  the  freedmen 
our  hero,  as  will  be  seen  from  the 
sequel,  began  his  life  work. 

George  was  an  unusually  bright  boy, 
black  as  black  could  be,  contradicting 
the  idea  so  often  advanced  that  intelli 
gence  could  not  be  found  in  the  pure 
African.  He  was  the  eldest  of  six  chil 
dren.  His  father,  whose  health  was 
poor,  could  not  earn  enough  to  feed  so 
many,  hence  the  mother  took  in  wash 
ing.  Her  great  ambition  was  to  give 
her  children  an  education.  When  the 
schools  were  opened  she  sent  George, 


32  Free  at  Last. 

who,  though  his  clothes  were  patched, 
always  was  neat  and  clean.  His  was 
an  honest  face,  that  carried  sunshine 
wherever  he  went.  He  made  such 
rapid  progress  in  school  that  he  was 
not  long  in  mastering  the  first  lessons 
in  arithmetic  and  other  studies.  His 
books,  though  somewhat  worse  for  the 
wear,  having  done  good  service  in 
schools  North  before  he  received  them, 
were  well  cared  for.  His  teacher  was 
proud  of  him,  and  before  the  end  of 
the  year  set  him  to  hear  some  of  the 
classes. 

His  mother's  name  was  Abigail,  which 
signifies,  "joy  of  her  father,"  but  for 
convenience  she  was  called  Abby.  Like 
her  namesake,  she  had  a  mission.  She 
was  one  of  those  irrepressible  women 
who  always  pray  and  speak  in  meeting. 


Improving  Opportunities.  33 

This  she  conscientiously  did,  even  in 
the  presence  of  her  superiors  in  learn 
ing.  Her  place  was  never  vacant  in 
prayer-meeting,  and  often  the  Spirit 
moved  her  to  speak  when  others 
wanted  to.  She  was  a  good  woman, 
whose  honesty  and  sincerity  no  one 
ever  doubted.  If  George  grew  up 
'spected  like  young  massa,  she  would 
be  happy. 

George  was  an  active  boy,  and  was 
always  in  demand,  because  he  could  be 
trusted.  He  did  his  work  promptly, 
without  a  murmur,  though  it  was  a  trial 
to  be  kept  from  school.  His  father  had 
been  a  plantation  hand,  and  in  his  youth 
possessed  great  muscular  strength  ;  but 
over-work  had  brought  on  some  nervous 
disease,  which  disabled  him  for  manual 
labor.  This  made  it  hard  on  his  wife, 


34  Free  at  Last. 

who  was  an  industrious,  careful  house 
keeper.  Their  crowded  room  afforded 
but  few  facilities  for  George  to  study. 
They  were  too  poor  to  have  the  luxury 
of  a  candle,  but  he  had  the  privilege  of 
gathering  bits  of  boards  and  pine  knots 
in  a  neighboring  shop.  These  he 
stored  away  to  use  for  light. 

Like  many  a  white  boy,  he  began 
his  education  under  great  difficulties. 
Kind  people  North,  ever  on  the  alert 
for  the  comfort  and  improvement  of 
the  freedmen,  continued  to  send  cloth 
ing,  books  and  other  useful  articles, 
which  added  much  to  their  comfort  and 
appearance.  Men's  and  women's  suits, 
but  little  worn,  were  sent  in  quantities 
from  Pittsburgh,  Boston,  Philadelphia 
and  other  places  all  over  the  North, 
which,  when  altered,  made  suits  for  old 


Improving  Opportunities.  35 

and  young.  Many  a  young  man  got 
his  first  suit  of  broadcloth  out  of  boxes 
sent  from  the  North.  On  Sabbath, 
when  they  assembled  for  service  in  the 
mission,  dressed  in  good  clothes,  they 
looked  respectable,  and  began  to  act 
like  gentlemen. 

There  was  much  to  be  done  in  re 
moving  their  superstitions  in  regard  to 
signs  and  omens  before  they  would  be 
intelligent  Christians.  The  "  traditions 
of  the  fathers,"  handed  down  from  time 
immemorial,  were  religiously  observed. 
A  century  of  education  would  be  neces 
sary  to  their  removal. 

The  fourth  year  of  freedom  found  the 
schools  in  a  more  flourishing  condition. 
The  mission  buildings  were  increasing 
in  number  and  size.  Thousands  now 
availed  themselves  of  the  privilege  of 


36  Free  at  Last. 

attending  school.  This  was  a  golden 
opportunity  for  the  Christian  Church  to 
do  more  than  it  did,  to  save  the  freed- 
men  from  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
There  will  be  a  sad  reckoning  for  this 
neglect,  in  suffering  them  to  lapse 
through  Romanism  into  all  the  idolatries 
of  the  land  from  whence  they  came. 
"  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to  one  of 
these,  ye  did  it  not  to  me." 

The  door  is  still  open,  inviting  all  to 
work.  It  promises  as  rich  rewards  as 
ever  it  did.  The  freedmen  are  willing, 
nay  anxious,  to  be  instructed. 


CHAPTER  III. 

A   NEW   TRIAL    AND    TEMPTATION. 

With  the  dawn  of  freedom  came  a 
new  temptation  to  the  freedmen.  They 
no  sooner  found  they  were  their  own 
masters  than  something  else  claimed 
the  mastership.  The  drink  demon, 
prevalent  in  slavery  times,  still  troubled 
them. 

"Just  a  little  while,  my  son.  It  is 
too  bad  yer  father  got  hisself  inter 
trouble  with  dat  dirty  licker.  Ef  I  hed 
de  chance  I'd  turn  ebry  drop  ob  it  into 
de  ribbah." 

' '  If  I  stay  home  from  school,  mother, 
I'll  get  behind  with  my  lessons,"  said 
George,  crying. 


4O  Free  at  Last. 

"Never  mind,  George,  it  won't  be 
long.  Stay  at  home  and  earn  a  little 
while  your  father  ain't  workinV 

4 'We  had  a  good  time  befoah  father 
got  to  drinkin'.  We  looked  like  white 
folks,  with  our  nice  table  an'  plenty  ter 
eat,  and  kindling  for  light." 

* '  'Deed  we  had,  son ;  'en  we  wuz 
happy  ;  but  Fse  hearn  dat  when  '  whis 
key  is  in,  wit  is  out. '  Reckon  yer  father 
will  drink,  en  we  will  have  to  bar  it, 
hard  as  it  is." 

"I'm  glad  father  did  not  kill  any 
body,"  said  George,  drawing  a  long 
sigh. 

"Oh,  dat  would  be  a  mighty  sight 
harder,"  said  his  mother,  her  eyes 
filling  with  tears  at  the  thought  of  such 
a  terrible  thing. 

"Don't    trouble  yoself,    mammy;    I 


A  New  Trial  and  Temptation.          4 1 

will  be  a  good  son,  and  take  care  of  yo' 
all  yo'  days." 

"God  bress  de  chile.  I'se  sure  yo' 
will,  my  son.  De  good  book  says, 
'  H'ar  now,  my  son,  an'  be  wise  ;  don' 
go  wid  wine  tipplers.'  Yo'  father  was 
not  wise,  an'  yer  see  what  he  cum  ter." 

"If  he  had  kept  out  of  Bill  Holly's 
company  he  would  not  be  in  prison 
to-day, "  said  George,  very  wisely. 

1 '  Dat's  so, "  said  his  mother,  with  a 
sigh. 

Many  learned  to  drink  from  their 
masters'  example.  No  matter  how 
poor  they  were,  their  masters  encour 
aged  them  to  save  money  for  whiskey 
on  Christmas.  Among  those  who  had 
fallen  into  drinking  habits  was  George's 
father.  His  physician  prescribed  liquor 
for  some  disease,  and  he  had  become 


42  Free  at  Last. 

so  much  addicted  to  its  use,  that  he 
could  not  do  without  it. 

Those  who  indulged  were  becoming 
idle,  vicious  and  unreliable.  Loafing 
prevailed  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
drinking  places.  Freedmen,  as  well  as 
whites,  were  guilty  of  offenses  for 
which  they  were  sent  to  the  peniten 
tiary  at  Nashville,  Tenn.  On  any  day 
the  chain-gang  could  be  seen  marching 
to  and  from  the  work  in  a  stone  quarry. 
Many  of  these  were  colored. 

Not  unfrequently  colored  men  suf 
fered  for  crimes  committed  by  whites — 
men  whose  innocence  could  be  proven 
beyond  a  doubt  ;  but  because  of  their 
idle  habits  and  their  color,  the  blame 
rested  on  them. 

The  good  missionary  found  George's 
father  in  the  penitentiary.  He  could 


A  New  Trial  and  Temptation.          43 

not  tell  how  he  came  to  be  there.  All 
he  remembered  was  that  he  had  been 
drinking,  and  was  in  court  receiving1  his 
sentence  for  theft. 

"Fse  suah  I  nebbah  took  nuthin. 
Please  get  me  outen  dis  place." 

His  case  excited  the  sympathy  of  the 
good  missionary,  but  he  was  powerless 
before  the  inexorable  law.  The  prayer- 
meeting  and  Sabbath  school  inaugu 
rated  in  the  prison,  proved  a  great 
blessing  to  the  prisoners.  This  reform 
in  prison  work  has  been  adopted  with 
good  results  in  other  prisons  North  and 
South. 

It  could  not  be  expected  that  an 
ignorant  people  would  all  do  right. 
The  wounds  which  generations  of 
slavery  made  were  too  deep  to  be 
healed  in  one  life  time.  Often  when 


44  Free  at  Last. 

parents  were  tempted  and  tried,  their 
spirits  revived  at  seeing  their  children 
growing  up  in  intelligence  under  their 
faithful  teachers.  This  was  compen 
sation  enough  for  all  the  poverty  and 
hardships  of  their  lot.  The  faith,  which 
was  their  solace  for  over  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years,  did  not  now  forsake 
them.  They  had  prayed  and  believed 
freedom  would  come  ;  but  the  trials  and 
temptations  were  not  thought  of. 

George  had  a  manly  pride  which 
made  him  feel  very  keenly  his  father's 
imprisonment.  He  was  never  guilty 
of  dishonest  tricks,  such  as  often  occur 
among  boys  in  school.  He  was  too 
well  brought  up  by  his  teacher  and 
mother,  whose  home  training  made  her 
careful  of  her  children.  He  was  strong 
and  healthy,  and  could  make  a  hand 


A  New  Trial  and  Temptation.          45 

now  at  any  ordinary  employment.  He 
rose  bright  and  early  to  find  something 
to  do.  His  straightforward  look  in  a 
man's  eye,  when  asking  for  work,  pro 
cured  a  job,  with  the  promise  that  if 
satisfactory,  he  should  have  another 
when  that  was  done.  When  he  re 
ceived  his  first  money  he  hurried  home, 
and  laying  it  in  his  mother's  lap,  said  : 

* '  Here,  mammy,  is  my  wages  ;  get 
something  for  father  with  some  of  it." 

The  boys  tried  to  tempt  him  to  treat 
to  " 'backer,"  but  he  told  them  he  did 
not  use  his  money  for  such  things. 

Poor  as  the  freedmen  were,  most  of 
them  used  tobacco.  Brought  up  to 
raise  and  handle  it,  they  learned  to  like 
it,  if  for  nothing  else  than  for  the  little 
stimulus  it  gave,  making  them  forget 
their  poverty,  and  for  the  time  they 


46  Free  at  Last. 

were  happy.  Women,  as  well  as  men, 
would  sit  for  hours  smoking  their  cob 
pipes.  No  matter  if  the  meal  in  the 
barrel  was  low  and  they  had  nothing  in 
the  house,  Topsy  would  spend  her  last 
dime  for  a  pipe  or  a  tin  rabbit,  or  other 
useless  thing. 

George's  mother  had  been  a  house 
servant,  arjd  was  trained  to  care  for  the 
little  things.  While  others  were  in 
need,  she  always  had  something  laid  up 
for  a  rainy  day.  She  was  comforted  in 
having  such  a  thoughtful  son,  whose 
acls  of  kindness  helped  to  lighten  her 
burdens. 

George  wanted  to  see  his  father,  but 
the  thought  that  he  would  have  to  go  to 
the  prison  to  see  him  was  very  humili 
ating. 

"What   is   I   heah    foah?     I'se    dun 


A  New  Trial  and  Temptation.          47 

nuffin  dat's  wrong  as  I  know  ob,"  said 
his  father,  weeping  bitterly. 

"That  may  be,  father,  but  I  can't  get 
you  out  of  prison.  Won't  you  promise 
that  you  will  never  drink  anymore  ?" 

' '  'Deed  I  will.  Fse  berry  sorry  I  has 
dis  bad  habit.  It  is  mighty  trouble 
some.  Fse  allus  hed  sich  mis'able 
health,  an'  ole  massa  said:  'Why 
don't  yer  try  ole  rye?'  an'  I  did,  an'  it 
got  de  better  ob  me.  Yer  see,  son,  it 
ain't  safe  fer  medicine,  no  how." 

"  My  teacher  read  in  the  good  book, 
'  Wine  is  a  mocker,  strong  drink  is 
raging;  whosoever  is  deceived  thereby 
is  not  wise. ' ' 

"Dat's  de  Bible  dodlrine,  an'  true  as 
preachin'.  Fse  sure  yer  won't  drink, 
son." 

"'Deed  I  will  not.     I  want  an  educa- 


48  Free  at  Last. 

tion,  and  to  be  respected  like  Colonel 
G ." 

Young  as  he  was,  when  freed  he 
remembered  white  men  whom  he  was 
taught  to  respect  as  but  little  inferior  to 
his  Maker.  In  his  ignorance  he  imag 
ined  he  would  be  like  them.  He  had 
not  learned  that  some  of  those  very 
men  had  the  same  failing  his  father 
had;  that  neither  education  nor  color 
in  itself  was  a  safeguard  against  temp 
tation. 

Tears  stole  down  their  cheeks  when 
they  parted.  Centuries  of  bondage 
and  ignorance  could  not  entirely  re 
move  the  finer  feelings  and  affections 
from  the  African  heart.  Their  trials 
rather  intensified  their  love  and  interest 
in  one  another.  There  was  always 
room  in  their  homes,  however  poor, 


A  New  Trial  and  Temptation.          49 

for  the  aged  and  homeless  man  or 
woman,  or  for  a  stray  waif  whose 
parentage  was  doubtful. 

Out  of  school,  George  improved  the 
time  by  studying  at  night,  so  that  when 
he  returned  to  school  he  continued  with 
his  classes.  His  mother  spent  some 
of  his  earnings  in  candles,  by  the  light 
of  which  he  studied.  She  wanted  him 
to  be  a  scholar  like  her  young  massa, 
who  went  North  to  college  and  became 
convinced  of  the  sin  of  slavery,  though 
he  never  told  any  save  herself  of  the 
fadl.  Ever  after,  he  was  her  ideal,  and 
the  best  the  house  afforded  was  brought 
out  when  he  came  home  in  vacation. 
She  kept  his  secret  deep  down  in  her 
own  heart.  He  was  now  a  respedled 
minister,  and  she  loved  and  revered 
him.  If  her  son  was  only  like  him, 


5O  Free  at  Last. 

noble,  manly  and  true,  she  would  be 
thankful.  In  all  her  toil  and  trials  she 
held  up  her  young  massa  as  one  whose 
example  could  be  safely  followed. 

As  the  freedmen  advanced  in  means 
and  intelligence  they  gave  attention  to 
their  dress  and  homes.  The  rough 
shanties  were  cleaned  up,  and  in  many 
there  was  an  air  of  neatness  hitherto 
unknown.  Through  George's  skillful 
hands  a  chimney  was  built  in  the  end 
of  their  cabin,  instead  of  having  the 
fire  in  the  center  of  the  earth  floor.  The 
pine  box,  on  which  they  ate  their  meals, 
had  given  way  to  a  neat  table.  A  set 
of  knives  and  forks,  a  few  dishes,  with 
bits  of  carpet  here  and  there  over  the 
rough  floor,  gave  their  room  a  com 
fortable,  home-like  appearance.  Their 
limited  room  and  few  conveniences 


A  New  Trial  and  Temptation.          5 1 

made  it  difficult  for  George  to  carry  out 
his  ideas  of  order.  "  A  place  for  every 
thing,  and  everything  in  its  place, "  was 
his  motto.  So  great  was  his  desire  for 
knowledge,  that  he  saved  every  bit  of 
newspaper  and  folded  it  away  to  read 
at  his  leisure. 

This  desire  for  knowledge  seemed 
to  be  contagious.  Other  homes  and 
neighborhoods  were  waking  up  to  the 
importance  of  having  schools.  Appli 
cation  was  made  at  the  mission  for  a 
teacher  for  a  school  sixteen  miles  from 
the  city.  The  wages  offered  were  not 
much  inducement,  but  George  was 
selected  for  the  place.  Though  young, 
he  was  manly  and  dignified  in  manner. 
His  father,  who  was  just  out  of  prison, 
thought  ten  dollars  a  month  small  pay 
for  a  teacher.  The  mother,  taking  a 


52  Free  at  Last. 

more  practical  view  of  the  subject,  said: 

"  Half  a  loaf  is  better'n  no  bread. 
Look  at  me  toilin'  an'  toilin'  at  de 
wash-tub  an'  iron-board  from  mornin'  to 
night,  an'  cookin'  fur  de  family.  It 
would  be  a  long  time  befo'  I  could 
make  dat  much." 

'  *  Yer  better  paid  accordin'  ter  yer 
time,"  said  her  husband,  who  did  not 
appreciate  woman's  work. 

* '  I  dunno ;  my  work  is  nebbah  done, 
an'  I  gits  berry  little  fur  it. " 

George  heard  this  conversation.  His 
mother's  hard  lot  made  him  decide  to 
go  and  teach.  Mentally  he  was  a  rich 
man.  Never  before  had  he  a  prospect 
of  so  much  money.  He  turned  over  in 
his  mind  how  many  nice  things  it  would 
buy  his  mother.  Among  them  he  did 
not  forget  a  large  Bible.  He  had 


A  New  Trial  and  Temptation.          53 

taught  her  to  read,  and  she  wanted  one 
with  large  print,  like  ole  massa's. 
' '  Then  I  must  have  a  '  carpet  bag  '  to 
hold  my  clothes,  a  hat  and  a  pair  of 
shirts. "  His  mother  drew  a  long  breath 
when  he  told  all  his  wants.  She  visited 
the  mission  store  and  procured  the 
articles.  There  were  hats  of  all  kinds 
and  styles,  including  Derbys  and  high 
silk  hats.  She  turned  them  over  and 
over  again,  and  finally  selected  a  high 
silk  hat  but  little  worn,  promising  to 
pay  for  it  in  "washinV 

George  laughed  as  he  held  it  up  and 
asked  what  she  got  that  for. 

"Yer  gwine  ter  be  a  teacher,  an' 
mus'  be  'speclable  lookinV 

* '  It  must  be  the  cast-off  hat  of  some 
big  preacher.  It  will  not  add  much  to 
my  looks,  mother.  See,  it  comes  down 


54  Free  at  Last. 

over  my  eyes  and  ears.     It  has  been 
some  powerful  man's  hat." 

"  Reckon  it  was  a  preacha's." 

George  turned  it  and  read  a  name  on 
the  inside  lining. 

"What's  dat  yo'  readin'  'bout  my 
young  massa,  George?" 

1 '  Why,  yes,  mother ;  his  name  is  on 
the  inside, "  said  he,  reading  the  name 
aloud." 

"I  declah  I  likes  dat  hat,  cos  it  looks 
jes  like  him  when  he  used  ter  cum 
home  'cation  times." 

The  hat  reminded  her  of  her  massa, 
whom  she  loved,  and  she  bought  and 
brought  it  home.  It  was  a  pardonable 
ambition  in  her  to  look  and  be  like  the 
good. 

' '  Where  did  you  get  such  a  big  hat  ?" 


A  New  Trial  and  Temptation.          5  5 

said  his  teacher,  when  George  called  to 
get  directions  to  his  school. 

"  Mother  took  a  fancy  to  it  and 
bought  it.  I  wore  it  to  please  her." 

His  teacher  examined  and  found  one 
corresponding  with  his  clothes,  and 
which  George  accepted  in  place  of  the 
other. 

After  bidding  his  teacher  farewell,  he 
picked  up  his  carpet  bag  and  started  on 
foot  to  his  school. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BUOYANT    WITH    HOPE. 

It  was  a  calm,  clear  morning  in  April. 
A  rain  storm  had  passed  over  the  day 
before,  making  the  air  stiff  and  breezy. 
The  sun  shone  brightly  on  the  glisten 
ing  grass  at  the  roadside;  fleecy  clouds 
flitted  across  the  clear,  blue  sky,  and 
the  little  birds  warbled  their  sweetest 
notes.  All  nature  was  springing  into 
life  under  the  genial  atmosphere  of  this 
delightful  spring  morning.  George  was 
buoyant  with  hope  on  the  morning  he 
left  his  humble  home  to  go  and  try  to 
teach  school.  A  feeling  of  self-impor 
tance  came  over  him,  and  he  wondered 
if  he  could  see  his  cabin  in  the  north  of 

town.     Reaching  the  highest  point  on 
5 


58  Free  at  Last. 

the  road  he  laid  down  his  carpet  bag, 
and  looking  back  over  the  city  the  first 
building  he  saw  was  the  handsome  mar 
ble  State  House.  It  never  looked  so  large 
as  it  did  this  morning,  as  he  stood 
gazing  at  it  in  admiration.  The  re 
flected  light  of  the  sun  on  the  stained 
glass  windows  suggested  what  he  read 
of  speeches  by  Andrew  Johnson  and 
others  inside  those  walls  when  slavery 
was  the  exciting  theme.  What  a 
change,  thought  he;  that  subject  no 
longer  troubles  the  statesmen.  He 
looked  in  every  direction,  and  there 
were  places  yet  visible  telling  sad  stories 
of  war  and  decay.  Over  to  the  right 
he  could  see  the  breastworks  thrown  up 
by  General  Thomas  before  his  battle 
with  Hood.  For  the  first  time  he  had 
a  realizing  sense  of  the  horrors  of  war. 


Buoyant  With  Hope.  59 

Was  all  that  blood  shed  for  poor,  black 
boys  like  me?  How  many  noble  young 
men  gave  their  lives  that  I  and  others 
might  be  free!  Raising  his  eyes  toward 
heaven  he  promised,  God  helping,  to 
live  and  labor  for  the  good  of  his  race. 
Happy  in  his  new  resolution  he  gath 
ered  up  his  carpet  bag  and  proceeded 
on  his  journey. 

A  few  miles  from  the  city  he  came  to 
a  charming  country  seat,  * '  with  closed 
doors,  from  which  life  and  thought  have 
gone  away,"  once  the  home  of  a  rich 
slaveholder,  who  spared  no  pains  or 
slave  labor  in  improving  the  grounds. 
Since  the  war  the  house  had  fallen  into 
decay.  Pieces  of  fine  statuary,  evi 
dences  of  former  wealth  and  glory, 
were  still  standing  here  and  there  like 
sentinels  over  the  grounds.  He  had 


60  Free  at  Last. 

heard  his  father  tell  of  grand  old  coun 
try  seats,  where  people  lived  in  splendid 
ease,  but  he  did  not  expect  to  find  one 
so  near  home.  This  wealthy  planter, 
like  others,  went  abroad  and  copied 
after  the  English.  A  rustic  seat  near 
by  afforded  a  resting  place,  and  sitting 
down  he  looked  long  at  that  once  mag 
nificent  but  now  deserted  home. 

Evidences  of  war  and  devastation 
were  everywhere  before  him.  At  last 
saddened  by  the  view  and  growing 
weary,  he  started  up  again  and  went 
on  until  he  came  to  a  little  stream 
gushing  out  of  the  splendid  limestone 
rock,  and  coursing  its  way  down  the 
side  of  the  hill  and  spreading  out  over 
the  banks.  Here  seating  himself  beside 
this  beautiful  stream  he  ate  the  lunch 
his  mother  had  so  kindly  provided. 


Buoyant  With  Hope.  6 1 

As  he  opened  the  gay  bandana  he 
thought  of  her  kindness  and  love;  how 
all  her  life  she  cared  for  his  comfort. 
Now  that  she  was  making  great  sacri 
fices  for  his  education,  would  he  ever  be 
able  to  repay  her? 

The  sun  was  sinking  behind  the 
western  hills,  as  he  came  near  the  place 
where  he  was  to  open  his  first  school. 
He  inquired  at  a  house  about  the  way. 
A  half  dozen  curly  heads  rushed  to  the 
door,  all  so  eager  to  tell  him,  that  he  was 
compelled  to  ask  them  to  stop;  and 
when  they  were  quiet,  he  asked  the 
largest  boy  to  direct  him. 

"Go  ober  dar,  by  Jack's  shop,  an' 
when  yer  cum  ter  Mass  Fry's,  den  go 
down  ter  a  creek,  en  go  ober  it,  en  yo's 
dar,  sah." 

This  was  about  as  indefinite  as  any- 


62  Free  at  Last. 

thing  George  had  ever  heard  about 
roads;  but  it  was  not  likely  he  could 
find  anyone  more  capable  of  directing 
him,  so  he  followed  it  as  well  as  he 
could.  Coming  to  the  creek  he  asked 
a  colored  man  for  Cross  Creek  school 
house. 

"  Ober  dar,"  pointing  to  a  low  cabin. 
"Is  yer  de  teachah?" 

When  told  that  he  was,  the  man 
invited  him  into  his  home,  and  he  was 
cordially  welcomed  by  the  hostess,  a 
large,  fat  woman,  who  soon  had  a  good 
supper  on  the  table,  and  the  stranger 
was  invited  to  "setup." 

George  felt  safe  when  he  lay  down 
that  night,  for  he  was  with  people  who 
feared  "de  Lawd."  He  would  have 
but  little  opportunity  for  study,  as  he 
was  expected  to  board  among  the 
scholars. 


Buoyant  With  Hope.  63 

Early  Monday  morning  he  was  at  the 
school  house,  a  cabin  seated  with  rough 
benches  and  stools.  The  children  com 
menced  coming,  and  continued  to  come 
all  day.  Punctuality  was  a  thing  they 
never  had  been  taught.  It  was  neces 
sary  at  the  beginning  to  enforce  some 
very  strict  rules.  Parents  as  well  as 
children  needed  training  in  habits  of 
punctuality.  The  discipline  of  the 
school  in  Nashville  was  laid  down  and 
most  vigorously  enforced.  Though 
young,  he  had  good  command  over  the 
scholars.  He  wanted  it  to  be  a  model 
school.  It  would  be  hard  to  describe 
the  motley  throng  which  crowded  into 
that  room,  all  anxious  to  see  "de 
young  teachah."  It  was  wonderful  to 
see  a  colored  man  acting  like  white 
folks.  Some  walked  five  miles,  and 


64  Free  at  Last. 

crossed  marshy  ground,  bare-footed  and 
bare-headed,  and  with  but  little  cloth 
ing  on  their  bodies. 

There  were  coarse,  bad  boys,  who 
bragged  that  they  drank  whiske} ,  and 
were  guilty  of  unmentionable  sins. 
There  was  some  low  grumbling  among 
them,  when  the  teacher  told  them  that 
the  first  boy  who  should  spit  on  the 
floor  should  take  a  mop  and  wipe  it  up, 
and  that  for  the  second  offense,  he 
would  be  kept  after  school. 

Order  and  neatness  were  taught,  and 
above  all  truthfulness  and  honesty, 
essential  traits  in  building  up  character. 
For  lack  of  these  there  were  many  de 
formed  characters  among  them.  To 
impress  these  immortal  souls  with  the 
exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin,  and  that 
for  every  transgression  they  would  be 


Buoyant  With  Hope.  6$ 

punished,  was  a  difficult  task.  He 
loved  his  Bible;  it  was  his  guide.  He 
tried  to  comprehend  its  meaning,  as  he 
studied  it  from  day  to  day  and  read 
from  its  pages.  No  book  interested 
the  children  so  much  as  the  Bible. 
They  never  tired  reading  or  hearing  it 
read.  A  solemn  awe  came  over  them 
when  he  commenced  reading  from  its 
pages.  The  histories  of  Joseph,  David 
and  Esther  were  specially  attractive  to 
them.  When  held  up  as  models  the 
scholars  would  say: 

"No  use:  dey  is  white  folks;  we 
can't  be  like  'em." 

When  told  that  God  had  made  of  one 
blood  all  nations  and  was  no  respecter 
of  persons,  they  looked  in  blank  aston 
ishment. 

Thus  by  his  reading  and  study  of  the 


66  Free  at  Last. 

Bible  he  was  being  prepared  for  the 
great  work  before  him.  His  experience 
as  a  teacher  gave  him  an  insight  into 
the  sad  effects  of  slave  life.  To  his 
eye  the  scars  of  slavery  were  ever 
visible.  The  ignorance  of  parents 
could  be  seen  in  the  dwarfed  intellects 
of  their  children.  Now  and  then  one 
gave  evidence  of  unusual  aptness  in 
acquiring  knowledge,  but  the  average 
intelligence  of  his  scholars  was  below 
what  he  expected.  His  keen  sense  of 
right,  and  his  religious  education  were 
developing  much  that  was  good  and 
useful  in  him,  and  made  him  willing 
and  anxious  to  impart  it  to  others. 
Few  could  read  or  write;  their  ignor 
ance  was  indeed  deplorable.  Their 
preachers,  in  whose  judgment  they 
placed  implicit  confidence  as  leaders, 


Buoyant  With  Hope.  67 

were  unfit  for  their  positions  as  teachers 
and  leaders. 

At  the  close  of  his  term  George,  full 
of  hope,  prepared  to  return  to  his  home. 
The  clouds  which  darkened  his  path 
way  were  being  dispelled,  and  he  was 
not  aware  of  the  cheering  news  that 
awaited  him.  A  kind  gentleman  from 
the  North  had  been  to  see  his  parents, 
and  had  arranged  to  send  him  to  a 
northern  college,  and  pay  for  his  educa 
tion.  This  was  a  pleasant  surprise,  for 
his  ambition  was  to  find  something  to 
do  by  which  he  could  get  an  education. 
Providence  now  opened  the  way  and 
furnished  the  means,  so  he  could  go 
through  his  course  without  delay.  He 
now  prepared  for  college. 

We  will  not  ask  the  reader  to  follow 
him  over  all  those  years  which  were 


68  Free  at  Last. 

spent  most  industriously  in  the  prose 
cution  of  his  studies.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
at  their  close  his  perseverance  was  re 
warded  by  the  faculty  conferring  upon 
him  the  first  honors  of  his  class.  As  a 
scholar  and  gentleman  he  had  no  peer 
in  the  college,  and  he  was  withal  a 
devoted  Christian. 

He  was  now  prepared  for  his  life 
work;  but  before  settling  down  to  this 
he  would  visit  his  brethren  in  Wash 
ington  City. 


CHAPTER  V. 

GEORGE    VISITS    WASHINGTON. 

"  The  greatest  men  of  the  world  are  those  who  have 
been  able  to  sway  by  moral  and  spiritual  forces  stars  in  the 
firmament,  and  beacon  lights  on  shore." 

George  had  long  cherished  a  plan  for 
visiting  the  Capital  City,  and  seeing 
where  grand  statesmen  distinguished 
themselves  speaking  in  behalf  of  free 
dom.  He  also  wanted  to  see  what 
progress  his  people  had  made  since 
their  freedom.  In  these  days  of  speedy 
travel,  he  was  not  long  accomplishing 
the  journey.  While  enjoying  the 
changing  scenery,  he  was  studying  the 
faces  of  his  fellow-passengers.  Some 
of  them  made  him  feel  uncomfortable 
on  account  of  his  color.  This  was  no- 


72  Free  at  Last. 

ticeable  in  trains,  and  hotels,  and 
wherever  brought  in  contact  with  white 
people.  His  first-class  ticket  was  no 
protection  from  the  insults  of  those  who 
gathered  up  their  skirts  in  horror,  be 
cause  compelled  to  ride  in  the  same 
coach,  and  sit  in  the  same  seat,  with  a 
negro.  He  was  very  sensitive  to  such 
treatment,  and  could  not  see  why  an  in 
telligent  colored  man  should  not  receive 
as  polite  treatment  as  a  rude  beer-guz 
zler  at  his  side,  whose  breath  and  cloth 
ing  were  fairly  saturated  with  liquor 
and  tobacco. 

An  agreeable  incident  showed  that  he 
was  not  without  friends,  even  among 
the  most  refined  ladies.  He  had  gone 
out  at  a  station  for  lunch,  leaving  his 
satchel  on  the  floor  instead  of  the  seat. 
When  he  returned  he  found  in  his  seat 


George  Visits  Washington.  73 

a  big  aristocratic  man  with  a  red  face, 
that  grew  redder  as  George  proceeded 
to  take  his  seat  beside  him.  The  man 
scolded  at  the  insolence  of  " niggers" 
expecting  to  ride  with  white  people,  but 
George  said  nothing  in  reply.  The 
passengers  heard  all  and  were  an 
noyed.  A  lady  sitting  near  offered  him 
a  seat  at  her  side.  He  thanked  her 
with  all  the  politeness  of  a  well-bred 
gentleman,  and  took  the  seat  so  kindly 
offered.  This  raised  a  titter  among  the 
passengers,  whose  sympathies  were 
with  the  would-be  aristocrat  in  his  ideas 
of  negro  equality.  The  good  lady  at 
once  entered  into  conversation  with 
him.  She  was  a  judge  of  character  and 
could  not  be  mistaken  in  regard  to  his 
respectability. 

With  wise  tact  she  let  him  know  that 


74  Free  at  Last. 

she  was  interested  in  his  race,  and  la 
bored  and  spent  means  for  their  eleva 
tion,  both  North  and  South.  Her's 
was  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  re- 
speclable  Quaker  families  in  Philadel 
phia,  and  she  spent  her  time  in  philan 
thropic  work.  She  was  much  inter 
ested  as  George  unfolded  his  history 
and  plan  of  visiting  Washington  and 
looking  into  the  moral,  social  and  physi 
cal  condition  of  his  people. 

"  You  will  find  a  sad  state  of  things 
among  some  of  your  people,"  she  said. 
"  Intemperance,  impurity  and  every 
evil  example  are  leading  'many  of  them 
to  destruction.  Designing  men  are 
taking  advantage  of  their  weakness  and 
many  of  them  are  being  hopelessly 
ruined.  It  is  done  so  quietly  that  only 


George  Visits  Washington.  75 

those  laboring  in  reform  fully  under 
stand  and  realize  it." 

She  had  scarcely  finished  her  re 
marks  when  the  train  stopped  at  her 
station.  George  assisted  her  with  her 
baggage,  while  she  put  a  bill  in  his 
hand,  he  all  the  time  wondering  at  his 
singular  good  fortune. 

He  had  prayed  for  something  to  do 
to  help  him  along,  and  it  came  in  this 
way.  He  was  being  prepared  for  trials 
awaiting  him. 

It  was  on  a  warm,  sultry  morning 
that  he  first  set  foot  in  the  capital.  He 
had  often  heard  of  this  beautiful  city  of 
"  magnificent  distances,"  now  he  real 
ized  the  truth  as  he  stood  at  the  head 
of  Pennsylvania  avenue  looking  down 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  On  in 
quiring  for  a  hotel  kept  by  people  of 


76  Free  at  Last* 

his  color,  he  was  directed  to  one  on 
Fourteenth  street,  but  on  going  there 
he  found,  to  his  great  disappointment, 
it  was  no  place  for  him.  The  proprie 
tor  kindly  informed  him  that  his  house 
was  kept  for  white  folks,  members  of 
Congress  and  other  regular  boarders, 
who  were  decidedly  opposed  to  asso 
ciating  with  colored  people. 

His  cheeks  burned  with  shame  when 
he  heard  this.  Was  he  not  an  edu 
cated  man,  sober  and  well  behaved? 
Why  such  distinction  at  the  seat  of  a 
republican  government?  Was  it  con 
sistent  for  a  colored  man  to  encourage 
caste  ?  This  caste  problem  was  harder 
than  any  he  had  found  at  college. 
Who  would,  could  or  should  solve  it  ? 
After  walking  miles  in  search  of  a  rest 
ing  place,  and  growing  tired  and  hun- 


George  Visits  Washington.  77 

gry,  he  entered  Temple  Cafe,  on  Ninth 
street,  but  the  elegance  of  the  place 
made  him  afraid  to  ask  for  something 
to  eat.  It  was  kept  by  a  white  lady, 
who  received  him  kindly  and  gave  him 
a  table  all  to  himself,  and  colored  ser 
vants  served  him  a  good  breakfast. 
This  cafe  was  kept  on  temperance  prin 
ciples,  and  the  boarders  were  among 
the  most  respectable  women  and  men 
in  office,  and  others  visiting  the  city 
temporarily  and  otherwise.  This  Chris 
tian  lady  presided  over  the  cuisine, 
trained  her  servants  to  be  useful  citi 
zens,  and  labored  for  the  promotion  of 
temperance  among  the  colored  people 
of  the  District,  and  was  beloved  for  her 
interest  in  them.  All  in  her  employ 
were  taught  that  truthfulness  and  hon 
esty  were  essential  to  good  character. 


78  Free  at  Last. 

After  breakfast  George  started  out  to 
view  the  city.  Dog  days  are  not  the 
most  favorable  for  making  good  impres 
sions  on  those  visiting  the  capital  for 
the  first  time.  The  sun's  rays  pouring 
down  on  marble  and  granite  and  re 
flected  from  asphalt  streets  added  to 
the  discomfort  of  sight-seeing. 

With  it  all  a  somber  cloud  hung  over 
the  capital  at  this  time.  President  Jas. 
A.  Garfield,  whose  voice  had  often 
been  heard  in  defense  of  justice,  had 
been  smitten  by  cruel  hands,  and  lay 
in  the  White  House,  just  before  being 
taken  to  Elberon.  His  life  fast  ebbing 
away,  he  was  carefully  watched,  and 
each  change  in  his  condition  heralded 
to  every  part  of  this  and  other  lands. 
Men,  women  and  children  walked  and 
talked  softly  during  those  sorrowful 


George  Visits  Washington.  79 

days.  People  met  in  churches  and 
prayed  :  "  God  spare  our  President." 
Then  came  days  alternating  between 
hope  and  despair.  Only  a  few  months 
ago  President  Garfield  had  been  sworn 
into  office  in  the  presence  of  thousands. 
Now  he  lay  dying.  In  his  delirium  he 
talked  of  the  sea  ;  if  he  were  only  be 
side  it,  health  would  come  again.  They 
carried  him  there  ;  recovery  was  not  so 
decreed.  One  evening,  while  the  peo 
ple  all  over  the  land  were  praying  that 
he  might  be  spared,  the  noble  life  went 
out.  It  was  a  beautiful  evening  in  Sep 
tember,  1 88 1.  George  was  returning 
from  church  where  prayers  were  offered 
for  the  dying  President.  He  had  hard 
ly  reached  his  lodging  place  when  the 
tolling  bells  took  up  the  sad  refrain — 
the  martyr  President  is  no  more. 


8o  Free  at  Last. 

Then  came  trying  days,  waiting  for 
the  body  to  be  brought  back  from  El- 
beron.  At  last  the  funeral  train  arrived 
with  the  remains.  These  lay  for  three 
days  in  state  in  the  rotunda  of  the  Capi 
tol.  Men,  women  and  children  from 
far  and  near  came,  some  to  look  for  the 
first,  all  for  the  last  time  on  the  mur 
dered  President.  The  middle  aged  and 
young,  and  those  who  were  bowed  with 
the  infirmities  of  age,  whites  and  blacks, 
came.  None  were  more  interested 
spectators  than  the  colored  people, 
many  of  whom  on  the  funeral  day 
walked  ten  and  fifteen  miles,  and  stood 
in  the  hot  sun  all  day  in  the  procession 
which  reached  many  squares.  Poor  old 
men  and  women  hobbled  along,  and  as 
they  passed  the  coffin  dropped  silent 
tears.  One  old  woman,  bent  with  age, 


George  Visits  Washington.  83 

stooping  down  as  she  passed  to  better 
see  the  face,  said  audibly:  "  Poah  fel 
low,  how  he  mus'  hev  suffe'd,"  so  ema 
ciated  was  his  face. 

"  The  old,  the  young,  the  grave,  the  gay, 
Were  bowed  alike  in  grief." 

Only  fifteen  hundred  persons  were 
admitted  to  the  rotunda  to  attend  the 
funeral  obsequies.  These,  the  highest 
officials,  and  foreign  ministers,  and  am 
bitious  politicians  recently  at  swords' 
points,  that  day  forgot  the  past,  and, 
arm  in  arm,  walked  together  and  min 
gled  their  tears  over  the  untimely  death 
of  their  President.  But  no  colored  man 
was  there.  Guitteau,  the  miserable  as 
sassin,  was  trembling  in  his  prison  cell 
for  a  crime  committed  on  an  unoffend 
ing  brother,  for  which  he  should  sooner 


84  Free  at  Last. 

have  been  brought  to  account.  Not 
until  he  expiated  his  crime  on  the  gal 
lows  was  the  law  vindicated.  Then  the 
nation  breathed  freely  again. 

The  funeral  over,  amid  strains  of  de 
lightful  music  by  the  Marine  Band,  they 
bore  him  who  was  honored  in  life,  and 
still  mofe  in  death,  to  the  train  which 
carried  him  to  his  last  resting  place  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Men  were  detailed  as  guards  to  pro 
tect  the  body  that  no  harm  overtake  it 
by  the  way.  Sad  that  with  that  train 
liquor  in  large  quantity  was  sent  for 
those  who  wished  to  use  it,  but  no  one 
was  detailed  to  look  after  it,  or  its  con 
sequences.  Afterward  bills  were  pre 
sented  to  Congress,  and  voted  to  be 
paid,  of  eight  thousand  dollars,  ex 
penses  for  liquors  used  at  the  funeral 


George  Visits  Washington.  85 

and  the  Yorktown  centennial.  George 
was  in  the  gallery  and  heard  the  bill 
discussed.  He  thought  what  a  fine  op 
portunity  this  to  display  a  little  tact 
and  courage.  Would  no  one  oppose 
this  unjust  bill?  Where  were  the 
heroic  men  who  pleaded  so  fearlessly 
for  freedom  ?  Are  they  not  needed  to 
plead  for  those  bound  down  by  the 
cruel  drink  habit  ? 

As  he  listened  to  the  discussion  of 
this  unjust  bill  he  thought  if  that  was 
what  statesmen  called  political  econo 
my  he  wanted  to  hear  no  more  of  it. 
He  congratulated  himself  that  no  color 
ed  man  had  anything  to  do  in  this  dis 
graceful  affair,  except,  perhaps,  to 
serve  the  liquors  on  the  train. 

Like  most  of  his  race,  George  was 
naturally  religious.  He  was  a  close  ob- 


86  Free  at  Last. 

server  of  all  that  was  going  on  around 
him.  He  read  of  balls  and  dances 
soon  after  the  funeral.  He  thought 
how  wicked  and  irreverent.  One  day  a 
nation  in  tears,  the  next  reveling  and 
dancing.  Even  long-established  custom 
could  not  make  it  right  in  his  eyes. 
Just  before  Lent  twenty-four  consecu-. 
tive  balls  were  announced  to  take  place 
in  Masonic  Hall  the  next  twenty-four 
week  nights.  The  usual  accompani 
ments  of  the  ball  room  were  there. 
He  rejoiced  that  his  people  would  not 
be  permitted  to  attend,  even  if  they  de 
sired  to  ;  but  it  was  possible  that  some 
of  them  would  serve  "  refreshments." 
It  was  so;  the  rattle  of  glasses  and  bot 
tles  falling  below,  told  the  story. 
Colored  men  were  actually  serving  the 
dancers  with  liquors,  and  throwing  the 


George  Visits  Washington.  87 

empty  glasses  and  bottles  in  an  alley 
below. 

The  habits  of  some  of  those  waiters 
could  be  traced  to  the  example  of  offi 
cials.  Was  it  surprising  they  wanted 
to  be  there?  There  was  money  to  be 
made,  and  they  could  hear  enchanting 
music.  The  Cabinet  officer,  with  his 
eight  thousand  dollar  salary,  was  there ; 
and  the  Government  clerk,  whose  sala 
ry  was  hardly  sufficient  to  pay  his 
board.  The  gambler  and  libertine  were 
there,  and  men  and  women  who  loved 
pleasure  and  extravagant  display.  The 
example  there  was  far-reaching  in  its 
influence.  Colored,  as  well  as  whites, 
were  being  lured  to  ruin  by  this  exam 
ple.  What  would  become  of  his  peo 
ple,  sixty-five  thousand  of  whom  lived 
at  the  capital  ?  They  were  poor,  and 


88  Free  at  Last. 

by  many  despised.  They  were  sur 
rounded  by  every  temptation  and  diffi 
culty.  A  few  men  had  become  wealthy. 
Hon.  Fred.  Douglass  and  Mr.  Wormly 
had  acquired  wealth  amounting  to  hun 
dreds  of  thousands  of  dollars.  Their 
advantages  for  education  were  good. 
They  had  their  schools  and  private 
seminaries,  and  some,  like  their  aristo 
cratic  white  neighbors,  sent  their  sons 
and  daughters  abroad  to  be  educated. 
Already  signs  of  caste  were  visible,  the 
better  educated  and  wealthy  being  un 
willing  to  associate  with  the  poor  and 
ignorant.  Many  were  indolent  and 
shiftless,  living  from  hand  to  mouth  in  a 
sort  of  dreamy  way,  believing,  hoping 
"  Suthin  would  turn  up  by  'm  by." 

It  troubled  George  to  see  so  many 
bright  men  in  positions  in  hotels  and 


George  Visits  Washington.  89 

saloons,  where  their  morals  were  in 
danger.  Intelligent  Africans  in  Wash 
ington,  as  elsewhere,  accepted  white 
apron  and  tea  towel  positions,  when, 
by  a  little  perseverance  and  energy, 
they  could  have  fitted  themselves  for 
something  better  and  more  ennobling. 
Their  white  neighbors  decided  their  fit 
ness  to  serve.  It  did  not  require  much 
education,  and  they  accepted  their  po 
sitions  in  all  humility.  Few  had  the 
energy  and  ambition  of  John  M.  Lang- 
ston,  Mr.  Bruce  and  Fred.  Douglass, 
who  fought  their  way  up  to  fame  and 
fortune  by  hard  study.  George  wished 
that  more  of  his  race  had  a  desire  for 
knowledge.  He  saw  too  many  idle, 
vicious-looking  men  out  of  employment 
begging  on  the  streets,  stopping  pedes 
trians  to  tell  of  want  and  suffering. 

7 


9<D  Free  at  Last. 

Like  hungry  office  seekers,  they  came 
to  the  capital  when  Congress  met  to 
"  gather  crumbs  from  Uncle  Sam's 
table."  They  were  not  hard  to  satisfy, 
for  a  few  pennies  generally  sufficed  to 
bring  a  hearty  "  thankee,"  and  they 
passed  on  to  repeat  the  same  story  to 
the  next  whom  they  met.  This  habit 
of  begging  they  learned  from  the  Sis 
ters  of  Charity,  who  gathered  money 
by  the  thousands  every  year  in  ten  cent 
bits  from  clerks  in  office,  ostensibly  to 
build  asylums  for  children. 

George  found  the  black  man  not  be 
hind  the  white  one  about  using  tobacco. 
Men  were  inveterate  smokers  and  chew- 
ers.  Outside  the  market  house  women 
could  be  seen  crouching  down  beside 
little  fires  smoking  their  cob  pipes,  and 
selling  tobacco  "twist." 


George  Visits  Washington.  93 

"  Have  some  '  backer  '  ?"  was  asked 
of  all  who  passed  their  way.  When 
spoken  to  about  it  they  said  :  ' '  White 
folks  smoke.  I'm  gwine  to  be  like  'em. 
We  is  mighty  imitative  creeters." 

Passing  along  Massachusetts  avenue 
one  day,  he  heard  slow  but  plaintive 
music.  As  he  came  near  he  decided 
they  were  playing  a  funeral  march.  It 
was  a  procession  of  colored  men  in  the 
grotesque  dress  of  some  order,  march 
ing  to  the  grave  of  one  of  their  com 
rades.  Their  training  in  wearing  white 
aprons  made  them  specially  graceful  in 
that  role  ;  but  their  dilapidated  hats  and 
bedraggled  white  plumes  suggested 
cast-off  finery,  and  he  queried,  "  When 
will  my  people  quit  aping  the  whites  in 
their  small  clothes  ?  " 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MRS.    HAVES'    EXAMPLE. 

"Who  is  the  moral  hero?  It  is  the  woman  who  is 
willing  to  encounter  odium  and  scorn,  obloquy  and  con 
tempt  in  doing  what  is  right." 

Wherever  George  went  he  was  treat 
ed  as  an  inferior.  In  the  street  cars,  at 
the  Capitol,  or  in  crowds,  the  same 
"  stand  aside,  I  am  better  than  thou  " 
policy  prevailed.  He  resolved  to  test 
the  matter  fully  before  leaving  the  city 
by  attending  the  President's  reception. 
Word  was  out  as  to  its  cosmopolitan 
character,  all  nationalities  and  classes 
in  society  being  invited.  On  the  even 
ing  of  this  reception  for  the  people,  en 
masse,  our  hero  joined  the  great  throng 


Mrs.  Hayes"  Example.  95 

which  slowly  wended  its  way  up  in 
front  of  the  White  House.  He  was 
alone  on  his  tour  of  observation,  and, 
coming  near,  his  heart  beat  quickly,  for 
he  would  soon  know  whether  he  would 
be  permitted  to  mingle  socially  with 
whites  at  the  reception.  He  had  not 
proceeded  far  after  entering,  when  a 
policeman  touched  him  on  the  shoulder 
and  informed  him  that  he  could  not  be 
admitted. 

"On  what  grounds,  sir?"  asked 
George,  somewhat  excitedly. 

4 'Color,"  said  the  policeman. 

George  was  a  noble-looking  man, 
and  straightening  up  to  his  full  stature, 
and  speaking  volumes  out  of  his  keen 
black  eyes,  he  proceeded  to  lay  down 
the  new  code  of  etiquette  for  recep 
tions. 


96  Free  at  Last. 

"You  have  admitted  Foreign  Minis 
ters,  sir?"  said  he  with  an  enquiring 
look. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man  in  the  blue  coat. 

"Are  not  Chinese  colored  ?  " 

The  policeman  was  obliged  to  con 
fess. 

"  Where  is  the  consistency  ?  I  am 
an  American  citizen  and  voter,  sir,  born 
and  educated  that  all  men  are  equal. 
You  exclude  me  because  I  belong  to  a 
poor,  oppressed  people,  long  trodden 
down.  My  education  makes  me  aspire 
to  something  noble.  I  have  a  higher 
destiny.  I  want  to  be  a  man,  a  part  of 
this  great  company,  who  delight  in  hon 
oring  the  President,  who  has  honored 
my  people.  I  want  equality.  In  law  it 
is  just  and  right." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  the 
officer  in  an  imperious  manner. 


Mrs.  Hayes'  Example.  97 

"Mr.  Arthur,  sir,  defended  a  colored 
woman  who  was  ejected  from  the  street 
cars  in  New  York,  and  gained  the  suit, 
sir.  Ever  since  colored  people  ride  in 
the  cars  with  white  folks.  He  did  it 
when  it  was  very  unpopular.  I  want  to 
see  and  pay  my  respecls  to  a  man  of 
such  principles." 

"Go  in,"  said  the  officer  ;  "but  you 
will  run  the  risk  of  being  snubbed." 

"I  shall  run  the  risk,  sir,"  said  George 
with  a  triumphant  air. 

The  next  encounter  was  with  the 
officer  who  stood  by,  and  introduced  the 
President  as  the  people  passed.  The 
first  question  asked,  was: 

"  Are  you  a  foreigner  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  American." 

"  How  came  you  here  ?" 

4 '  I  am  a  voter,  a  citizen  of  this  free 
country,  sir." 


98  Free  at  Last. 

1 '  We  don't  recognize  the  equality  of 
negroes  here.  You  are  excused." 

The  President  seeing  George's  em- 
barassment,  reached  out  his  hand  and 
giving  it  a  cordial  grasp,  beckoned  him 
on  into  the  parlor. 

The  first  thing  that  attracted  his  at 
tention  in  this  room  was  Mrs.  Hayes' 
portrait,  standing  on  the  floor,  leaning 
against  the  wall.  It  was  set  in  a  massive 
wood  frame,  handsomely  carved  by 
ladies  in  Cincinnati.  The  portraits  of 
George  and  Martha  Washington  were  in 
full  view  as  he  entered  the  blue  parlor. 
He  remembered  hearing  that  Mrs. 
Hayes'  portrait  was  not  permitted  to  be 
hung  permanently  beside  theirs  ;  and  he 
wondered  why  they  objected  !  Was  she 
not  as  deserving  of  honor  as  Martha 
Washington  ?  Was  not  her  example 


Mrs.  Hayes'  Example.  101 

more  worthy  of  imitation  ?  She  had 
the  moral  courage  to  banish  liquors  from 
the  White  House  during  the  four  years 
she  was  mistress  of  it.  She  set  an  ex 
ample  before  her  children  and  the  youth 
of  this  century,  which  the  colored  people 
could  safely  follow.  She  deserved  to 
have  her  name  engraved  in  letters  of 
gold  in  the  State  dining  room,  as  a 
memorial  of  her,  for  banishing  a  useless 
and  dangerous  custom  from  the  White 
House. 

George  woke  from  his  reverie  in  time 
to  see  one  whom  the  nation  delighted 
to  honor,  make  his  appearance.  Wher 
ever  he  went,  all  eyes  followed,  intent 
on  seeing,  while  many  waited  to  take 
the  hand  of  General  Grant,  who  led 
our  armies,  and  brought  freedom  to  the 
enslaved.  Women  as  well  as  men  were 


io2  Free  at  Last. 

ready  to  do  him  homage.  George 
thought  they  forgot  that  the  God  of 
battles,  whose  ear  heard  the  cry  of  the 
down-trodden  and  oppressed,  was  their 
deliverer,  and  had  answered  their 
prayers.  A  feeling  of  gratitude  filled 
his  heart,  as  he  recalled  all  that  had 
been  done  in  gaining  freedom  to  his 
race.  He  was  thankful  for  the  silent 
influence  of  her  whose  portrait  stood  on 
the  floor,  in  the  Green  Room.  Was  she 
not  really  the  first  lady  of  the  land  ? 
Her  example  should  make  her  as  dear 
to  the  colored  people  as  freedom  itself. 
If  followed  by  them,  there  would  be  no 
drunkenness  among  them.  When  they 
visit  the  White  House,  how  pleasant  it 
will  be  to  tell  the  beautiful  story  to  their 
children  of  Mrs.  Hayes'  refusing  to  set 
liquors  before  her  guests. 


Mrs.  Hayes'  Example.  103 

The  next  place  he  visited  was  the 
Capitol  and  the  restaurant  in  the  base 
ment.  He  was  not  favorably  impressed 
with  the  example  of  many  who  fre 
quented  those  places.  Waiters  told  him 
half  confidentially  that  large  quantities 
of  liquors  were  used  by  Congressmen  in 
those  restaurants.  A  smart  mulatto,  in 
the  Senate  restaurant,  gave  a  significant 
smile  when  asked, 

4 'If  liquors  were  much  used." 
"  Oh,  yes,  when  they  are  sick." 
Judging  from  what  he  saw  and  heard, 
some  of  them  were  often  very  sick. 

The  next  place  we  find  George  seated 
in  the  gallery  assigned  to  colored  men, 
listening  to  the  speeches  on  the  tariff. 
Soon  the  tobacco  smoke  came  rolling  up 
from  the  House  of  Representatives  so 
strong  that  he  was  compelled  to  leave 


IO4  Free  at  Last. 

and  go  down  to  the  reception  room  ;  but 
this  was  so  elegant  with  its  marble  floor 
that  he  was  afraid  to  stop  there.  A 
gentleman  came  into  the  room  who  forgot 
to  remove  his  hat.  An  officer  ordered 
him  to  take  it  off.  The  code  of  etiquette 
at  the  Capitol  did  not  embrace  enough. 
There  were  ladies  present  whose  nerves 
were  much  more  shocked  with  the 
smoking  than  with  the  hat  that  man 
forgot  to  remove. 

Sick  and  disgusted,  George  went 
down  stairs,  pondering  as  he  went,  as  to 
how  far  his  people  were  guilty  in  culti 
vating  the  tobacco  habit.  The  handsome 
marble  floor  and  stairs  were  so  stained 
with  tobacco  that  he  concluded  Congress 
could  not  do  a  better  thing  than  to  ap 
propriate  money  for  an  annex  for  a 
smoking  room  eight  stories  up,  so  that 


Mrs.  Hayes*  Example.  105 

visitors      and      others      who      do     not 
smoke,  would  not  be  annoyed  with  it. 
It  was  with  some  relief  that  he  reached 
the  door  and  breathed  the  pure  air  of 
heaven  again. 

A  few  rods  from  the  Capitol,  drinking 
places  and  houses  of  infamy  were  carry 
ing  on  their  wicked  business.  Was  it 
surprising  that  women  all  over  the  land 
went  out  in  a  crusade  against  these 
evils  when  the  brightest  statesmen  and 
wisest  men  were  being  lured  to  ruin  ? 

George  was  a  conscientious  man,  he 
feared  God  and  kept  his  commandments. 
It  hurt  him  to  see  and  know  that  men 
would  disgrace  their  constituency  and 
those  who  gave  them  positions  by 
frequenting  such  places.  He  went  to 
his  lodging  with  a  heavy  heart.  His 
insight  into  the  sins  and  temptations  of 

8 


io6  Free  at  Last. 

political  life  made  him  fearful  for  the 
future  of  his  race.  ,  Could  they  take 
part  in  politics  and  not  be  corrupted  ? 
What  incentive  had  they  to  be  states 
men,  when  so  many  of  those  of  whom 
one  would  expect  better  things,  go 
astray  ? 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CABINET    DINNER. 

"  God  give  us  men  !     A  time  like  this  demands 

Great  hearts,  strong  minds,  true  faith  and  willing  hands; 

Men  whom  the  lust  of  office  does  not  kill; 

Men  whom  the  spoils  of  office  cannot  buy, 

Men  who  possess  opinions  and  a  will; 

Men  who  have  honor,  men  who  cannot  lie; 

For  while  the  rabble  with  their  thumbscrew  creeds, 

Their  large  professions  and  their  little  deeds, 

Wrangle  in  selfish  strife — lo  !  Freedom  weeps, 

Wrong  rules  the  land,  and  waiting  Justice  weeps." 

— O.  W.  Holmes. 

The  next  morning  after  George's 
visit  to  the  Capitol,  he  was  out  bright 
and  early,  having  promised  to  assist  a 
waiter  at  a  cabinet  dinner,  to  be  given 
that  evening  by  a  member  of  the  cabinet 
to  members  of  the  cabinet  and  their 
families.  All  were  anxious  that  this  re 
ception  should  excel  the  previous  one. 


io8  Free  at  Last. 

None  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the 
occasion  with  a  heartier  zest  than  the 
waiters.  There  was  always  a  charm 
about  everything  done  and  said  among 
society  people  during  Congress  that 
pleased  the  waiters.  The  last  dinner 
was  such  a  charming  affair !  Could 
it  ever  be  excelled  ?  Efficient  servants 
had  much  to  do  in  making  receptions 
pleasant;  many  of  them  being  fine  cater 
ers,  and  skillful  in  giving  the  finishing 
touches  to  the  tables,  arranging  plants, 
flowers,  etc. 

George  was  a  genius,,  helpful  as  a 
waiter,  equally  at  home  demonstrating 
a  problem  in,  mathematics  or  conjugat 
ing  a  Latin  verb.  A  house  of  so  much 
beauty  and  grandeur  as  this  was  in 
strange  contrast  with  most  homes  he 
had  ever  seen,  North  and  South.  Soon 


Cabinet  Dinner.  109 

guests  in  glittering  equipages  arrived 
with  gay  and  happy  people,  who  were 
welcomed  by  the  host  and  hostess  in 
the  spacious  parlors.  The  usual  com 
pliments  of  the  season  and  social  conver 
sation  occupied  the  time  until  dinner 
was  served  at  nine  o'clock,  the  hour 
long  looked  for  by  the  anxious  servants. 
As  the  guests  entered  the  dining  room 
the  band  struck  up  a  beautiful  march. 
The  room  was  brilliant  with  flowers 
whose  fragrance  filled  the  air.  It  was 
like  a  scene  in  a  fairy  tale. 

The  table  was  spread  for  forty,  and 
at  each  plate  were  six  glasses,  turned 
down.  This  did  not  escape  George's 
notice ;  but  he  was  so  bewildered 
with  the  pomp  and  grandeur  of  the 
affair  that  he  almost  forgot  where  he 
was.  The  company  took  their  seats, 


no  Free  at  Last. 

but  no  thanks  were  offered  the  Giver  of 
all  good  for  blessings  bestowed.  Twelve 
courses  were  served  in  the  most  ap 
proved  style,  and  after  two  hours  and  a 
half's  surfeit  of  good  things,  their  glasses 
were  turned  up  and  six  kinds  of  wine 
passed  around.  Host  and  hostess, 
gentlemen  and  ladies,  matrons  and 
maidens  partook,  but  few  refused  the 
sparkling  cup.  They  became  merry 
and  merrier,  their  eyes  grew  brighter, 
their  laughter  louder,  and  amid  the 
clinking  of  glasses  and  music,  all  left 
the  table. 

The  rest  of  the  evening  was  spent  by 
the  ladies  in  examining  the  charming 
trosseau  of  the  lovely  Mrs.  Blank, 
whose  beautiful  daughter  quite  carried 
off  the  palm  at  the  piano,  while  the 
gentlemen  discussed  the  next  election 


Cabinet  Dinner.  1 1  r 

and  the  bill  for  the  improvement  of  the 
Potomac  Flats.  At  i  A.  M.  the  com 
pany  retired,  as  they  came,  except  they 
now  made  more  noise. 

The  waiters  were  silent  observers  of 
all  that  was  done  and  said  during  the 
time  of  serving,  but  after  all  was  over 
they  had  their  remarks  and  criticisms. 

George  improved  the  occasion  by 
giving  them  a  lecture  on  the  dangers  of 
handling  and  using  liquors.  He  had 
not  violated  his  principles  by  serving 
them,  and  could  with  greater  propriety 
pronounce  a  woe  on  those  who  "put  the 
bottle  to  their  neighbors'  mouth." 

"I  am  not  surprised  that  so  many 
fall  before  temptation,  when  they 
are  forced  to  smell  and  serve  liquors  to 
the  whites, "  said  he  afterwards. 

All   the    reply    he    could    get    was: 


112  Free  at  Last. 

"  Dar's  no  use'n  trublin'  yo'  self,  dey's 
boun'  ter  hev  it  ebbery  time,  sah." 

Such  poor  fellows  would  follow  the 
example  of  those  who  put  on  style,  no 
matter  if  it  ruined  them. 

The  grey  of  morning  had  made  its 
appearance  before  he  retired  from  the 
festive  scene.  Hurrying  along  the  street 
to  his  lodging,  he  was  suddenly  over 
taken  by  an  officer  who  asked  him  to  go 
with  him  into  a  low  tumble-down  tenant 
house.  Seeing  light,  and  hearing  a  noise 
inside,  he  entered.  The  officer  led  him 
along  a  narrow  passage  and  up  a  rickety 
stairway,  and  brought  him  face  to  face 
with  a  scene  of  a  different  character  from 
the  one  he  had  just  witnessed. 

The  room  was  small,  bare  of  furniture, 
only  a  broken  chair  or  two,  and  a  bed 
on  which  lay  a  colored  woman  in  the 


Cabinet  Dinner.  1 1 3 

last  stages  of  consumption.  On  the 
floor,  beside  her,  lay  her  only  son,  in  a 
drunken  stupor,  with  a  half  empty 
whiskey  bottle  at  his  side.  He  came 
home  crazed  with  drink,  and  struck  his 
dying  mother  because  she  would  not 
rise  and  get  him  something  to  eat.  A 
kind  neighbor,  hearing  her  groans,  came 
in,  in  time  to  save  her  life.  After  provid 
ing  for  the  poor  woman,  and  assisting 
the  officer  in  getting  the  intoxicated 
man  out  of  the  house,  George  proceeded 
on  his  way.  He  was  turning  over  in  his 
mind  all  the  different  scenes  of  the  night, 
when  all  at  once  he  saw  a  man,  with  arm 
stretched  out,  over  a  colored  man  who 
was  kneeling  at  his  feet.  For  a  moment 
he  forgot  where  he  was.  It  was  the 
Lincoln  monument.  The  figure  with 
outstretched  arm  was  the  noble  man  who 


H4  Free  at  Last. 

proclaimed  freedom  to  the  slave. 
George's  first  impulse  was  to  bow  before 
him,  as  the  marble  slave,  but  there  came 
welling  up  into  his  heart  strange,  unwel 
come  thoughts.  Was  freedom  a  myth  ? 
Were  colored  people  really  free?  Were 
they  not  bound  down  by  a  more  cruel 
bondage,  learned  from  white  folks' 
customs  and  habits?  Could  they  ever 
free  themselves  from  these  ? 

Why  should  a  colored  man  bow  down 
before  a  white  man  for  doing  his  duty? 
Was  it  not  a  fearful  legacy  that  the 
white  man  was  leaving  them  ?  Freedom 
to  do  as  they  please — drink,  murder, 
steal  and  be  imprisoned — freedom  to 
degrade  their  wives  and  little  children; 
freedom  to  drink  with  statesmen  and 
men  in  high  places,  robbing  them  of 
their  God-given  Sabbaths,  by  turning 


A  RACE  iei  FREE 

AND    THl     COUNTRY  AT     PtACt 

LINCOLN 

RESTS    FROM  HIS  LABORS 


!l'lU)MiiiyV/i 


Cabinet  Dinner.  117 

this  holy  day  into  one  of  business  and 
pleasure,  thus  compelling  his  people  to 
break  it.  Would  they  ever  do  right 
with  such  example  before  them  ? 

Though  the  outlook  at  Washington 
was  not  as  bright  as  he  could  have 
wished,  still  he  was  satisfied  that 
progress  had  been  made  in  educational 
matters.  Their  educated  ministers 
were  doing  a  good  work  in  leading  to 
purer  thoughts,  and  encouraging  a  de 
sire  for  greater  knowledge.  Too  little 
was  being  done,  however,  to  educate 
the  masses  on  the  subject  of  temper 
ance,  gambling,  etc.  As  a  result,  there 
was  suffering  and  poverty  among  them. 
When  Congress  was  in  session,  many 
colored  people  could  be  seen  in  the 
gallery,  listening  attentively,  catching 
up  everything  said.  They  were  as  good 


1 1 8  Free  at  Last. 

listeners  as  many  whites  who  frequented 
the  galleries. 

George  rather  enjoyed  watching  and 
studying  the  cranky-looking  men  and 
women  going  in  and  out  of  the  galleries. 
Women  and  men  with  long  hair  and 
short,  came  rushing  in  to  get  seats. 
Among  them  was  one  who  made  yearly 
pilgrimages  to  the  Capitol  whose  face 
had  grown  so  familiar  that  the  colored 
people  watched  him  with  suspicion,  be 
cause  he  dressed  well,  but  had  no  visible 
means  of  support.  In  his  own  estimation, 
Congress  could  not  get  on  without  his 
presence. 

The  reporters  came  with  self-important 
air  and  took  the  seats  allotted  them.  It 
was  worth  a  journey  there,  to  see  those 
hailing  from  "the  Hub."  The  airs  they 
put  on  !  A  lady  with  pad  and  pencil  in 


Cabinet  Dinner.  12  r 

hand,  took  her  seat  in  the  reserved  gal 
lery.  From  the  decided  look  on  her  face 
she  must  be  entrusted  with  an  important 
work  and  will  not  be  frustrated  in  it. 

The  session  was  half  gone  before 
members  were  ready  for  business,  and 
even  then,  many  were  absent.  Senators 
were  about  to  discuss  a  Memorial  bill 
for  a  Commission  of  inquiry  into  the 
nature  and  effects  of  the  alcoholic  liquor 
traffic. 

Bill  900  on  the  calendar,  was  called 
for  and  discussed  pro  and  con,  quite 
satisfactory  it  seemed  to  the  speakers. 
The  friends  of  the  bill  were  nearly  all 
Northern  men,  and  when  the  vote  was 
taken,  twenty-six  Republicans,  six  Dem 
ocrats  and  two  Independents  voted  for 
the  Commission.  A  member  of  the 
House,  who  was  in  the  Senate,  said  to 

9 


122  Free  at  Last. 

a  Senator:  "  You  can  afford  to  vote  for 
that  bill,  it  will  be  killed  in  the  House." 
And  so  it  was. 

Before  leaving  Washington,  George 
accepted  an  invitation  to  a  party  given 
by  a  colored  club  of  young  men,  to 
which  young  women  were  also  invited. 
The  company  was  very  select,  only  a 
limited  number  being  invited.  The  men 
were  in  full  dress,  and  the  women  wore 
low-necked  dresses,  and  short  sleeves. 
The  code  of  their  aristocratic  white 
neighbors  was  followed  to  the  letter, 
two  hours  and  a  half  being  spent  at  the 
table.  George  was  not  surprised  at 
seeing  five  glasses  at  each  plate,  and 
five  kinds  of  liquor  on  the  sideboard, 
which  were  served  to  all  present  except 
George  and  a  young  lady,  who  had  too 
much  principle  to  break  their  pledge. 


Cabinet  Dinner.  123 

All  the  rest  drank  once  and  again  until 
they  were  more  or  less  intoxicated,  one 
woman  haying  to  remain  over  night  to 
sleep  off  her  drunken  stupor.  George 
left  disgusted  at  what  he  had  seen  and 
heard,  and  as  his  thoughts  turned  toward 
his  Southern  home,  he  wondered  if  his 
people  there  were  being  lured  to  ruin  as 
were  these  in  the  North. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HOMEWARD    BOUND. 

"  Go  to  thy  mother's  side, 

And  her  crushed  spirit  cheer; 
Thine  own  deep  anguish  hide, 
Wipe  from  her  cheek  the  tear. ' ' 

George  left  Washington  for  the  South 
land  with  a  less  hopeful  feeling  than 
when  he  arrived  there.  He  knew  more 
of  public  life,  and  the  true  inwardness 
of  men,  especially  politicians,  and  had 
less  respect  for  statesmen  generally. 
While  the  train  bore  him  rapidly  toward 
his  Southern  home,  he  was  deeply  im 
pressed  with  the  visible  fact  that  the 
South  was  far  behind  the  North  in  im 
provements  which  he  very  justly  traced 
to  the  blighting  effects  of  slavery.  What 


Homeward  Bound.  125 

incentive  had  slaves  to  build  up  a  country 
when  they  were  bowed  down,  wronged 
and  poorly  fed  ?  The  South,  with  all  its 
inexhaustible  natural  resources,  is  but 
poorly  developed;  but  now,  with  remun 
erated  labor,  the  freed  men  should  raise 
twice  as  much  grain  and  cotton  as  they 
did  in  slavery,  and  do  their  work  better. 
What  is  needed  is  willing  hearts  and 
hands  to  make  the  South  land  an  Eden 
of  beauty.  Their  work  will  always  be 
needed  to  dig  coal  and  raise  corn  and 
cotton,  and  if  all  able  to  work  have  fair 
wages  promptly  paid,  they  will  acquire 
homes  and  be  happy. 

He  was  so  absorbed  with  his  thoughts 
that  he  did  not  notice  that  he  was  near- 
ing  his  old  home.  Soon  he  would  see 
his  kind  mother,  from  whom  he  had 
been  long  separated.  All  the  colored 


126  Free  at  Last. 

people  of  the  neighborhood  knew  of  the 
arrival  of  the  distinguished  guest.  No 
sooner  had  he  stepped  from  the  platform 
than  he  was  greeted  in  the  old  time, 
cordial  manner,  by  hosts  of  friends. 
There  were  some  exceptions.  Idle,  envi 
ous  ones  who  never  had  energy  enough 
to  do  or  be  anything  useful,  stood  back, 
watching  everything  he  did.  Mis  brother 
met  him  and  hurried  him  home  to  meet 
the  faithful  mother  who  was  waiting  to 
welcome  her  long  absent  son.  George 
noticed  with  pride  the  comfort  and  neat 
ness  of  everything  around  the  humble 
home.  On  the  right  of  the  walk  leading 
to  the  door,  were  many  pretty  flowers, 
while  on  the  left  was  a  little  garden  of 
vegetables  of  the  season.  The  white 
spread  on  the  bed  in  the  sitting  room  was 
rivalled  only  by  the  snowy  white  pillows 


Homeward  Bound.  127 

and  clean  cloth  on  the  table  on  which  was 
spread  a  nice,  warm  breakfast  ready  to 
be  served. 

It  was  a  plain  meal  compared  with 
many  he  had  enjoyed  since  leaving- 
home,  but  there  were  precious  memories 
here  which  no  other  place  could  have 
for  him.  Here  was  the  devoted  mother 
who  met  him  with  open  arms,  saying, 
' '  De  Lawd  is  kind  an'  good  ter  me, 
yer  home  agin.  Sit  down  dar,  honey, 
an'  make  yo'self  at  home.  Ise  so 
glad  to  see  yer.  Is  yer  well?  How 
well  yer  look."  She  was  proud  of  him. 
She  had  prayed  that  he  would  grow  up  a 
useful  man  like  his  namesake,  and  she 
now  believed  her  prayer  was  answered. 
She  loved  to  see  all  her  children  doing 
well,  and  now  that  he  whom  she  had 
dedicated  to  special  work,  was  home 
again,  she  was  supremely  happy. 


128  Free  at  Last. 

Hard  work  providing  for  her  family, 
had  made  her  old  and  stiff,  but  she  had 
a  cheerful  heart  and  was  contented  with 
her  lot.  She  wept  as  she  offered 
George  the  vacant  seat  by  her  side  at 
the  table.  All  the  legacy  her  husband 
left  was  a  drunkard's  wife.  A  shade  of 
sadness  came  over  George's  face,  for 
since  he  left  home  his  father  had  died 
a  drunkard,  and  left  him  the  legacy  of 
shame.  The  habit  of  taking  his  bitters 
was  learned  from  his  old  master  and 
physician,  and  no  influence  could  change 
him.  To  the  last  he  quoted  their  ex 
ample  and  Paul's  injunction  to  Timothy, 
"Take  a  little  wine  for  the  stomach's 
sake  and  thine  often  infirmities." 

The  mother  was  strictly  temperate 
and  had  impressed  her  character  on  her 
children,  who  were  sober  and  upright 


Homeward  Bound.  129 

men,  respected  for  their  honesty  and  in 
dustry.  George  learned  for  the  first 
time  to  whom  he  was  indebted  for  his 
scholarship  and  education.  Her  young 
but  now  old  Massa  George  furnished 
the  means  to  pay  his  board  and  tuition 
at  college. 

He  and  his  mother  often  spoke  of 
God's  goodness  in  providing  so  bounti 
fully  for  all  their  wants  since  their  free 
dom. 

After  spending  a  few  days  very 
pleasantly  with  his  mother,  he  proceeded 
to  Georgia,  where  he  expected  for  the 
present  to  make  his  home.  Before 
reaching  his  destination  he  had  heard  of 
the  exciting  temperance  campaign  going 
on  in  that  state.  An  ' '  amendment "  to 
the  Constitution  prohibiting  the  manu 
facture  and  sale  of  liquors,  except  for 


130  Free  at  Last. 

p 

medicinal,  mechanical  and  sacramental 
purposes,  had  been  submitted  by  the 
legislature  to  the  people,  for  approval  or 
rejection. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

With  purpose 'strong  and  steady, 

In  the  great  Jehovah's  name, 
We  rise  to  save  our  kindred, 

From  a  life  of  woe  and  shame; 
And  the  Jubilee  of  freedom 

To  slaves  of  sin  proclaim. 
Our  God  is  marching  on. 

—Dr.  Hunter. 

A    MILLION    AND    A    HALF    OF    VOTERS. 

George  came  on  the  stage  at  the  most 
interesting  time.  Friends  urged  him  to 
enlist  in  the  work  and  use  the  gifts  with 
which  his  Maker  had  endowed  him. 
Believing  that  it  was  a  contest  for  that 
which  involved  much  to  his  race,  he 
gave  himself  unreservedly  to  the 
"Amendment"  campaign.  Many  a 
contest  he  had  with  the  foes  of  the 
Amendment.  Some  objected  that  this 


132  Free  at  Last. 

was  the  white  man's  war  ;  blacks  had 
nothing  to  do  with  it.  Professed 
Christians  were  responsible  for  their 
being  brought  to  this  country ;  professed 
Christians  held  and  sold  them  as  slaves. 
True  Christians  would  now  have  to  free 
them  from  the  slavery  to  rum.  George 
was  not  long  in  telling  them  that  all  he 
wanted  was  their  help  in  freeing  the 
South  and  with  it,  themselves,  from  the 
saloon.  Then  they  would  advance. 

1 '  What  had  we  to  do  in  introducing 
drinking  customs,  anyway?  "  asked  one 
of  the  more  intelligent  ones.  *  *  We  were 
brought  to  this  country  to  be  slaves  and 
were  kept  in  slavery  two  hundred  years, 
and  then  had  to  fight  for  our  freedom; 
now  we  must  turn  around  and  fight  the 
liquor  business.  Why  we  had  to  raise 
grain,  run  distilleries  and  furnish  liquors 
for  this  and  other  lands." 


A  Million  and  a  Half  of  Voters.       133 

How  sad  that  while  they  were  doing 
this,  men  were  bartering  their  souls  and 
bodies  to  their  appetites  for  rum. 

George  impressed  upon  all  that  they 
were  not  responsible  for  the  past,  but  now 
were  their  own  masters  and  should  share 
the  responsibilities  of  the  whites.  It  was 
their  duty  as  good  citizens  to  help  free 
the  state  and  nation  from  the  curse,  and 
with  it  their  own  people,  who  were 
victims,  no  matter  if  it  did  compel  them 
to  undo  what  they  did  in  slavery.  The 
cruelty  and  oppression  of  slavery  did 
not  convince  all  that  it  was  wrong  and 
should  be  abolished;  neither  does  the  sin 
and  danger  of  the  drink  traffic  convince 
all  now  that  liquor  should  be  abolished; 
but  it  is  the  duty  of  those  who  have 
convictions,  to  agitate,  as  was  done  in 
time  of  slavery.  George  was  willing  to 


1 34  Free  at  Last. 

begin  work  on  Southern  soil.  The 
whites  needed  all  the  help  they  could 
get,  in  the  present  campaign.  There 
was  a  good  chance  for  his  people  to  dis 
tinguish  themselves  in  helping  to  solve 
the  liquor  problem.  Allowance  would 
have  to  be  made  for  their  training  of 
two  hundred  years,  following  the  cus 
toms  of  whites.  It  would  require  time  to 
undo  this,  but  it  was  a  satisfaction  that 
his  people  were  not  guilty  of  introducing 
the  drink  custom.  Those  who  came  to 
the  New  World  to  found  a  pure  govern 
ment  brought  their  habits  with  them. 
Seventeen  years  after  the  Puritans  set 
foot  on  American  soil,  the  first  brewery 
was  built.  Side  by  side  slavery  and 
intemperance  grew,  until  the  sentiment 
was  made  which  abolished  the  one  and 
put  the  other  on  trial.  It  has  been  before 


A  Million  and  a  Half  of  Voters.       139 

Congress  for  years  and  will  continue  to 
be  until  its  destruction.  The  little  germ 
of  slavery  planted  in  Jamestown,  Va., 
spread  and  became  an  element  of  power 
by  which  kings  and  queens  were  ruled. 
Statesmen  bowed  down  to  it.  That  first 
brewery  was  the  beginning  of  a  business 
that  has  increased  with  years,  and  to-day 
is  a  mighty  monied  power,  largely  con 
trolling  political  parties.  The  best  men 
and  women  opposed  the  slave  trade; 
but  they  were  in  the  minority,  just  as 
the  temperance  folks  are  now.  Brave 
men  like  Wilberforce,  Garrison  and 
Phillips,  whose  ears  were  always  open 
to  the  cries  of  the  oppressed,  made 
the  sentiment  that  more  than  all  others 
helped  to  free  the  slave.  Noble  men  and 
women,  North  and  South,  are  now  lab 
oring  to  suppress  the  traffic  in  liquors. 

10 


140  Free  at  Last. 

George  rejoiced  that  he  was  of  the 
happy  number,  but  it  was  a  grief  to  him 
;that  so  few  of  his  people  were  willing  to 
labor  against  that  which  he  believed  was 
their  greatest  enemy.  Every  day  he  was 
impressed  that  he  had  a  work  to  do 
among  those  who,  since  their  freedom, 
were  becoming  more  and  more  intem 
perate. 

His  heart  was  touched  with  the  misery 
and  poverty  on  account  of  this.  When 
men  were  in  liquor  they  were  blood 
thirsty  and  revengful,  always  getting 
into  trouble.  It  was  hard  to  get  the 
masses  interested  in  the  work.  A  dog 
fight  was  far  more  important,  in  their  es 
timation,  than  a  temperance  meeting. 

Georgia  was  the  first  State  South  to 
prohibit  the  importation  of  slaves  from 
Africa.  James  Oglethorpe,  a  temperance 


A  Million  and  a  Half  of  Voters.       141 

man,  when  settling  the  first  Georgia  col 
ony,  pledged  himself  and  followers  to 
set  their  slaves  free ;  so  it  was  hoped 
that  it  would  be  the  first  in  the  galaxy 
of  Southern  States  to  free  itself  from  the 
rum  slavery.  For  this  George  was 
anxious  to  labor.  He  found  many 
among  the  freedmen  who  were  opposed 
to  having  their  liberty  taken  away. 
Deep  down  in  his  own  heart  was  a  de 
sire  that  God  would  raise  up  some  one 
among  his  people  to  be  a  leader  in  this 
reform.  Nothing  would  please  him 
better  than  to  "come  to  the  kingdom  for 
such  a  time  as  this,"  but  he  would  wait 
and  see  what  Providence  had  in  store  for 
him. 

"If  yer  keep  on  agitatin'  der  liquor 
question  I  reckon  dey  will  be  anothah 
wah,  sah,"  said  one  of  the  cowardly 
ones. 


142  Free  at  Last. 

"  Don't  speak  of  it,"  said  George,  with 
a  troubled  look.  "  If  our  race  do  their 
duty  they  can  save  the  Nation  from  this 
sin.  Do  you  know  that  we  have  a  mil 
lion  and  a  half  of  voters  now  in  the 
South  ?  Our  votes  will  give  us  influence, 
but  we  must  be  careful." 

' '  What  if  yer  don't  git  de  chance  to 
cast  yer  ballot?  "  asked  Percy  Jones, 
who  stopped  to  listen  to  the  conversation. 

"  We  must  see  to  that,  when  the 
time  comes,"  said  George,  with  a  shrug 
of  his  shoulders. 

"  Ise  allus  sad  ter  think  of  poor  John 
Brown's  end,  all  fur  our  sakes,"  said 
Percy,  wiping  away  a  tear. 

"  It  was  very  sad,  Percy,  but  he  made 
a  mistake  to  try  to  get  up  an  insurrection 
among  the  slaves  and  to  capture  Har 
per's  Ferry.  Poor  man,  he  wanted  to 
free  us,  and  paid  dearly  for  violating 


A  Million  and  a  Half  of  Voters.       143 

the  law.  Ten  persons,  including  his 
two  sons  and  himself,  lost  their  lives  by 
it.  He  was  a  martyr,  and  his  reckless 
acl  was  overruled  for  our  gopd.  Much 
as  slaves  wanted  liberty  few  were  ready 
to  join  in  an  insurrection  of  that  kind.  I 
am  proud  that  our  folks  were  law  abiding 
and  faithful  to  their  masters'  families 
when  left  in  their  charge.  It  was  the 
highest  compliment  masters  could  pay 
their  slaves,  to  leave  all  in  their  care 
when  they  went  to  fight  the  North.  The 
slaves  waited  patiently,  believing  their 
God  was  marching  on  and  that  their 
redemption  was  near." 

1 '  If  dat  question  could  ha'  bin  settled 
widout  the  dreffel  loss  of  life,"  said  Percy 
with  a  sigh. 

"You   see   that   question  had  to  be 


144  Fyee  at  Last. 

settled  by  blood.     During  the  war  one 
of  the  poets  wrote : 

"  Some  things  are  worthless,  others  so  good, 
That  nations  who  buy  them,  pay  only  in  blood." 

"An'  a  mighty  sight  of  it  was  shed 
befo'  de  wah  was  oVeh,  sah." 

' '  Yes,  it  was  terrible ;  but  in  every 
period  of  the  world's  history  differences 
have  been  settled  by  force  of  arms. 
Joshua  and  David  led  great  armies. 
Victor  Immanuel  and  Garibaldi,  Wash 
ington  and  Grant.  It  is  said  that  five 
billions  of  men  have  perished  in  war. 
One  hundred  and  eighty-six  thousand 
ex- slaves  fought  in  the  late  civil  war, 
and  twenty  thousand  negroes  in  the 
Revolutionary  war." 

' '  Dey  was  fightin'  foh  de  women  and 
chillen." 


A  Million  and  a  Half  of  Voters.       145 

"Negroes  have  fought  in  eighty 
battles  in  this  countn ." 

"Isdat  so,  Mars  George?  Yo'  see 
white  folks  set  us  a  mighty  bad 
'zample,  "  saying  this  Percy  gathered  up 
his  spade  to  go  to  work. 

"  Indeed  they  have,"  said  George,, 
"but  we  must  help  to  bring  about  the 
good  time  predicted  in  the  Bible  when 
"  Nations  shall  beat  their  swords  into 
ploughshares  and  their  spears  into 
pruning-hooks,  and  men  will  learn  war 
no  more."  Christ  came  to  bring  ' '  peace 
on  earth  and  good  will  to  men."  We 
are  part  of  this  Nation  and  should  do 
something  to  shape  its  destiny.  I  long 
to  see  this  beautiful  South  redeemed 
from  the  curse  of  liquor;  to  see  man 
hood  and  womanhood  restored  to  free 
dom  from  the  love  of  drink.  Then  joy 


146  Free  at  Last. 

will  come  to  all  still  suffering  for  our 
sakes.  The  bitter  past  will  be  forgotten 
in  our  effort  to  save  one  another.  Then 
the  cruel  lynchings  will  cease  from  our 
land  and  all  will  live  in  peace." 

George  had  scarcely  ceased  talking, 
when  a  man  came  in  who  told  about 
a  man  who  was  torn  from  a  jail  in  a 
public  square  of  a  Southern  city  and 
lynched  in  presence  of  applauding  men, 
women  and  children.  These  repeated 
cases  grieved  George,  who  wanted  pro 
tection  to  his  people  when  they  did 
right;  but  to  take  their  lives  without 
judge  or  jury  was  not  fair.  As  citizens 
they  had  an  inalienable  right  to  be 
treated  fairly.  This  would  go  far  toward 
solving  "the  Negro  problem."  Some  of 
the  freedmen  were  easily  influenced  by 
designing  politicians,  and  those  who 


A  Million  and  a  Half  of  Voters.       147 

could  be  flattered  by  promises  were 
always  getting  into  trouble  with  political 
demagogues.  Every  now  and  then  sums 
of  money  were  being  used  in  purchasing 
their  ballots.  George  tried  to  teach  all 
to  imitate  the  good  and  avoid  the  evil, 
and  to  be  careful  they  do  not  become  the 
tools  of  bad  men.  He  was  too  late. 
Already  wicked  men  were  at  work,  and 
it  would  be  impossible  to  overthrow 
their  wicked  plans.  The  lower  class  of 
whites  and  blacks  were  enlisting  on  the 
side  of  rum.  Catholic  priests  were  busy 
dictating  to  the  colored  men  how  to  vote. 
These  never  cared  for  the  colored 
men  until  they  had  a  vote.  Jesuits  ma 
nipulated  the  schools  everywhere,  pick 
ing  out  the  most  intelligent  boys  and 
sending  them  to  Rome  to  be  educated, 
then  brought  back  as  missionaries 


148  Free  at  Last. 

to  the  freedmen.  George  thought 
it  would  be  a  good  plan  to  send 
missionaries  to  his  people  and  rescue 
them  from  the  Catholic  church,  to  which 
the  majority  of  liquor  sellers  and  drink 
ers  belonged.  To  put  their  necks  in 
the  Roman  yoke  would  be  a  backward 
step  in  their  civilization,  and  the  worst 
slavery  the  freedmen  ever  knew. 

He  was  sorry  for  his  brethren  who  had 
been  lured  into  that  church ;  he  would  go 
to  them  with  the  open  Bible,  the  great 
charter  of  our  liberty ;  and  but  for  the 
priests  it  would  be  theirs  also. 


CHAPTER  X. 

AN    EDUCATED    MINISTRY   NEEDED. 
"  What  a  divine  work  and  mission — to  protect  the  weak." 

George  wanted  to  visit  a  Mission 
School  in  Alabama.  In  order  to  do  this 
and  see  the  country,  he  went  in  a  private 
conveyance.  The  land  in  places  was 
swampy  and  broken;  the  trees  were 
covered  with  a  kind  of  Spanish  moss 
which  gave  a  wild,  weird  look  to  every 
thing  along  the  way.  He  expedted  to 
see  alligators  lying  around,  and  imag 
ined  he  could  see  the  fugitive  slave, 
Henry  Bibb,  jumping  from  tree  to  tree, 
trying  to  escape  the  scent  of  blood 
hounds.  While  he  was  wondering  where 


150  Free  at  Last. 

the  people  lived,  the  buggy  stopped  in 
front  of  the  Mission,  called  the  ' '  Prayer 
House."  Entering  the  cabin  school,  he 
found  a  room  full  of  women  who  had 
met  for  prayer.  They  sang  a  plantation 
song  in  a  plaintive  tone,  then  a  woman 
offered  prayer,  which  was  like  the  wail 
of  a  heart  bearing  a  great  burden  which 
she  was  bringing  to  the  Lord.  As  they 
sang  and  prayed  their  bodies  swayed 
back  and  forth,  as  they  made  their  un 
earthly  sounds,  groanings  and  gestures. 
George  talked  to  those  mothers  about 
their  duty  to  their  children.  They  listened 
with  eyes  and  ears  opened  to  all  he  had 
to  say  to  them.  Their  greatest  need 
was  an  educated  ministry.  The  young 
people  in  the  mission  schools  refused 
to  hear  ministers  who  would  not  inform 
themselves  in  the  gospel  truths.  It  was 


A  n  Educated  Ministry  Needed.      151 

evident  that  if  the  colored  people  ever 
became  great  leaders  in  that  which 
makes  men  and  women  noble  and  useful, 
they  should  have  some  good  example 
before  them.  Their  children  in  cities 
needed  the  education  to  be  had  in  the 
public  school  the  same  as  the  children  of 
other  nations.  Contact  with  intelligent 
white  people  would  do  them  good.  The 
poor  and  rich  of  every  white  nation  mingle 
together  in  the  public  school,  but  the 
poor  despised  Afro-American  boy  and 
girl,  no  matter  how  gifted,  are  not 
wanted.  A  moral  and  secular  education 
is  needed  by  them  and  the  poor  whites, 
whose  ignorance  can  be  traced  to  slavery. 
The  freedmen  were  thankful  for  the  aid 
government,  churches  and  individuals 
were  giving  to  remove  poverty  and  ig 
norance,  but  with  it  all  there  were  bitter 


152  Free  at  Last. 

complaints  with  their  lot.  Freedom  was 
sweet,  but  it  had  not  improved  their 
circumstances  as  much  as  they  expecled. 
The  trials  and  crosses  had  not  been 
taken  into  the  account,  and  many  were 
unhappy.  George  was  humbled  when 
he  remembered  the  privations  many 
suffered  and  still  suffer,  who  gave  dear 
ones  to  free  the  land.  Asylums  and 
homes  for  soldiers  and  orphans  had 
been  liberally  provided  for  those  who 
gave  their  services  in  the  war.  All  he 
asked  was  loyalty  to  the  best  govern 
ment  on  earth,  and  that  it  would  provide 
as  well  for  the  orphans  and  widows 
made  by  drink.  He  was  thankful  that 
while  government  was  maintaining  its 
honor,  slavery  went  down,  and  he  was 
a  free  man. 


CHAPTER  XL 


PURITY    IN    HOME    LIFE. 


"  Who  can  find  a  virtuous  woman:  for  her  price  is  far 
above  rubies." — BIBLE. 

There  was  a  phase  of  social  life  among 
the  freedmen  which  did  not  harmonize 
with  George's  ideas  of  propriety.  So 
long  taught  to  disregard  the  marriage 
relation,  many  now  could  see  no  harm 
in  living  in  a  sort  of  free-lover  style,  and 
there  was  no  one  to  call  them  to  account 
for  it.  At  the  close  of  the  war  there 
were  sad  revelations.  Husbands  and 
wives  met,  who  had  been  separated 
years  before  and  sold  away  so  far  that 
they  married  again  and  had  families. 
Not  only  were  they  robbed  of  their 


154  Free  at  Last. 

earnings,  but  they  were  reduced  to 
concubinage,  and  denied  the  civil 
rights  of  marriage.  The  nearest  and 
dearest  relationships  were  sundered, 
and  prostitution  encouraged.  They 
were  deprived  of  education,  and  es 
pecially  of  moral  culture  to  teach  them 
how  to  live.  It  was  a  penal  offense 
to  teach  them  to  read.  Parental 
authority  was  broken  up  by  the  domestic 
slave  trade.  Some  slave  owners  never 
separated  husbands  and  wives,  or 
parents  and  children,  but  they  were  the 
exceptions.  All  had  the  legal  right  to 
do  it.  George  taught  all  that  the  Bible 
condemned  all  separations  except  for 
one  cause.  It  taught  the  sacredness  of 
the  relation  which  is  for  life.  '  '  What 
God  hath  joined  together,  let  no  man 
put  asunder." 


Purity  in  Home  Life.  155 

In  going  from  place  to  place  he  found 
many  men  and  women  who  needed  to 
be  lifted  up  out  of  the  depths  of  vice 
and  saved  for  lives  of  usefulness.  There 
were  poor  intemperate  women  and  men 
needing  counsel  and  sympathy  now  as 
much  as  those  did  who  were  separated 
by  cruel  masters  and  the  world  is  just 
as  indifferent  to  their  cries  now  as  then. 
The  voluntary  but  no  less  sinful  slavery 
to  appetite  separates  husbands  and 
wives  and  children.  It  robs  them  of  all 
earthly  and  heavenly  hopes  and  fills  the 
land  with  tramps. 

George  was  becoming  an  enthusiastic 
reformer.  While  North,  he  made  a 
special  study  of  the  temperance  question. 
He  delighted  in  tracing  the  analogy  be 
tween  this  and  slavery.  He  learned 
lessons  in  moral  as  well  as  political 


156  Free  at  Last. 

economy.  He  thought  that  possibly 
God  had  a  purpose  in  freeing  them  at 
the  time.  Was  it  that  they  might  enlist 
in  the  glorious  warfare  against  the  liq 
uor  traffic?  He  tried  to  keep  in  close 
touch  with  the  masses,  if  possible  to  win 
them  and  aid  in  carrying  the  prohibitory 
amendment.  If  it  was  lost  and  gov 
ernment  would  go  on  as  in  slavery 
days,  it  might  be  left  to  the  terrible  al 
ternative  of  another  war  to  suppress  the 
rum  slavery.  The  thought  of  this  made 
George  terribly  in  earnest,  and  all  he 
wanted  was  enough  of  men  to  carry  the 
amendment  in  Georgia. 

As  the  time  approached  when  it  would 
be  decided,  he  was  kept  busy,  having  to 
fill  engagements  to  speak  in  many 
towns  and  hamlets  in  the  State.  He  was 
developing  the  gift  of  oratory,  and  com- 


Purity  in  Home  Life.  157 

manded  the  attention  of  some  of  the 
cultured  ones,  who  were  forced  to 
accept  his  logic.  When  voting  day  ar 
rived  all  interested  were  there  to  see 
that  justice  was  done  and  that  colored 
voters  had  a  fair  chance.  Men  worked 
hard  and  cast  ballots  instead  of  bullets, 
and  gained  the  amendment. 

There  was  great  rejoicing  that 
Georgia  was  the  first  of  the  Southern 
States  to  declare  for  prohibition.  But 
their  joy  was  of  short  duration;  owing 
to  some  technicality,  it  was  found  that 
the  question  would  have  to  be  resub- 
mitted  to  the  people.  This  was  a  great 
disappointment.  It  would  involve  more 
outlay  of  work  and  money. 

Would  George  continue  his  labors? 


CHAPTER  XII. 

UNFULFILLED    PROMISES. 

Nothing  daunted  by  the  late  defeat, 
for  his  was  a  sanguine  heart,  George 
began  early  to  plan  for  a  new  campaign. 
He  surveyed  the  field,  took  his  bearings 
and  again  entered  the  conflict  with  all 
the  earnestness  of  his  nature.  His  in 
dividuality  was  now  felt.  Whites  were 
inclined  to  respect  his  opinions.  They 
said  he  was  a  bright  man.  At  the  same 
time  he  was  made  to  feel  that  people 
so  long  in  bondage  need  not  expect 
much  regard  from  those  who  enslaved 
them.  He  tried  to  be  patient  and  to 
overlook  slights,  but  this  was  difficult  to 
do.  Though  a  decided  character,  he 


Unfulfilled  Promises .  159 

was  careful  to  whom  he  expressed  him 
self.  When  asked  "  What  will  be  the 
political  outcome  of  all  this  agitation  of 
the  temperance  question?  "  he  modestly 
gave  his  opinion  without  compromising 
his  principles,  or  being  offensive.  His 
keen  insight  into  character  led  him  to 
suspecl  that  some  to  whom  he  looked 
for  aid,  would  likely  prove  traitors  in 
the  hour  of  need.  During  the  first 
campaign,  colored  people  attended  the 
same  meetings  and  sat  on  the  same 
platform  with  whites,  and  were  protected 
at  the  voting  places;  but  promises  made 
then,  would  have  to  be  fulfilled,  before 
there  would  be  much  co-operation  now 
on  the  part  of  the  blacks. 

George  influenced  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact  not  to  compromise 
with  the  liquor  traffic.  He  remembered 


160  Free  at  Last. 

that  the  distinguished  men  who  framed 
a  constitution  for  the  United  States, 
tolerated  slavery,  causing  great  trouble. 
If  government  licenses  the  liquor  traffic, 
making  it  respectable,  it  should  be  re 
sponsible  for  the  mischief  done  by  men 
in  drunken  brawls.  Though  young 
at  the  time  George  remembered  those 
stirring  events,  and  that  God  brought 
about  the  end  of  slavery  and  saved  the 
Union.  He  could  not  forget  the  bugle's 
call  and  the  tramp,  tramp  of  soldiers  in 
General  Sherman's  army,  as  it  went 
marching  toward  the  sea.  Uncle  Ned 
came  over  to  their  cabin  before  it  was 
light,  his  eyes  staring  wildly.  As  he 
came  into  the  cabin  he  called  out, 
"  Glory,  Hallelujah,  de  Lawd  am  a 
cummin'  dis  time  shuah.  Git  down  on 
yo'  knees."  Old  and  young  obeyed, 


Unfulfilled  Promises .  163 

for  he  was  a  preacher  and  all  were 
taught  to  respect  him  It  was  a  char 
acteristic  prayer,  with  but  little  regard 
for  the  rules  of  syntax;  but  that  earnest 
prayer  of  that  old  man  for  all  de  "  Gin- 
erals  from  de  Norf  what  am  cum  down 
to  set  de  little  and  big  folkses  free ;  good 
Lawd,  grant  dem  'tection  by  the  low 
ground  and  victory  on  the  hill  top,  if  it 
please  yer." 

The  humble  prayers  that  went  up  from 
those  poor  hovels  were  answered  in 
God's  own  good  time.  Their  faith  was 
wonderful,  and  but  for  it  they  would 
have  despaired.  Surely  these  poor  ones 
will  not  again  be  permitted  to  be  bound 
down  by  a  worse  bondage  to  their  ap 
petites  and  passions.  God  forbid  that 
another  Abraham  Lincoln  should  have 
to  be  raised  up  to  emancipate  the  mill 
ions  enslaved  to  rum. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

WOMEN    HELPERS. 

**  You  remember  your  dear  mother  who  first  stirred  the 
ripple  of  love  in  your  heart.  She  is  gone;  but  her  influence 
and  lessons  survive.  That  ripple  flows  on  forever.' ' 

The  cruel  manner  in  which  the  colored 
people  were  being  treated,  in  many 
places,  was  cause  of  sorrow  and  anxiety 
to  George. 

Word  had  just  come  of  a  cruel  lynch 
ing  in  a  neighboring  State.  On  account 
of  their  repeated  acts  the  freedmen 
were  growing  desperate. 

One  evening  George  was  sitting 
meditating  on  these  sad  events  and  try 
ing  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  light  in  the 
darkness.  His  arm  rested  on  a  table,  his 


Women  Helpers.  167 

head  was  bowed  and  lips  moved  as  if  in 
prayer.  "  O,  when  will  my  poor 
despised  Afro- American  brethren  rise 
above  their  cruel  surroundings?  When 
will  the  whites  treat  them  as  they  should 
be  treated?  When  will  the  bitter  preju 
dice  of  those  who  look  upon  us  as  in 
ferior  be  put  away  ?  " 

In  midst  of  all  there  was  much  to  en 
courage  him.  As  a  people  they  were 
making  as  much  progress  in  educational 
matters  as  the  whites  in  Georgia. 

In  one  district  out  of  a  hundred  per 
sons,  there  was  not  a  half  dozen  whites 
who  could  keep  a  record  of  an  election. 
A  greater  desire  for  education  on  the 
part  of  whites  and  blacks  was  needed  as 
well  as  more  schools. 

Only  one-fifth  of  the  population  could 
read  and  write. 


1 68  Free  at  Last. 

In  visiting  from  house  to  house  he  had 
an  opportunity  for  impressing  upon  the 
women  that  every  lasting  reform  began 
in  the  homes  of  the  people.  Women 
were  the  home-builders.  Now  that  the 
fragment  of  the  broken  families  which 
had  been  scattered,  were  being  gathered 
together  again,  homes  could  be  estab 
lished.  A  conservative  element  opposed 
women  taking  part  in  temperance  work; 
but  a  few  believed  the  reform  would 
not  succeed  without  the  help  of  good 
women.  While  he  believed  that  it  was 
in  the  family  that  woman's  most  effective 
work  was  done,  he  did  not  discourage 
those  who  had  time  and  ability,  to  aid 
in  public  meetings.  He  had  heard  Mrs. 
F.  E.  Harper,  a  gifted  colored  woman, 
speak  on  the  temperance  question.  She 
had  aided  in  the  abolition  of  slavery  and 


Women  Helpers.  169 

is  now  making  the  sentiment  by  writing 
and  speaking  that  will  triumph  in  the 
abolition  of  the  drink  business. 

1 '  Will  women  not  neglect  their  fam 
ilies  if  they  engage  in  this  public  work?" 
asked  a  conservative. 

"  Did  Mrs.  H.  B.  Stowe  neglecl  her 
home  duties  while  writing  "  Urtcle  Tom's 
Cabin "  ?  Did  Deborah  and  Miriam, 
who  took  part  in  public  affairs,  neglect 
their  homes  ?  Did  the  noble  women  who 
braved  the  dangers  of  camp  life  to  care 
for  sick  and  dying  soldiers  negledl  their 
homes?  The  grand  women  who  came 
from  the  North  to  teach  us,  had  to  leave 
their  homes ;  but  it  was  because  they  had 
the  true  missionary  spirit.  They  suffered 
for  our  sakes,  and  we  cannot  be  too  thank 
ful  to  them.  Some  of  them  are  now  among 
the  active  temperance  women  of  the 


170  Free  at  Last. 

country;  educated,  refined  women,  whose 
hearts  were  touched  with  pity  for  the 
ignorant  slave.  They  were  missionaries 
in  the  truest  sense,  and  deserve  to  have 
their  names  engraved  in  marble  for  what 
they  did." 

' '  I  glory  in  woman  doing  all  the  good 
she  can,  sir;  she  had  much  to  do  in  the 
fall  of  man;  Eve,  for  instance,"  said 
one  of  George's  friends. 

' '  It  looks  as  if  men  would  never  for 
give  women  for  this  first  wrong  step. 
They  will  go  on  down  the  ages,  twitting 
women  about  it,  taking  advantage  of  their 
example,"  said  George  with  a  mischiev 
ous  look. 

' '  Yes,  Adam  loved  fruit,  and  Eve's 
daughters  have  been  tempting  men  with 
the  wine  cup  ever  since. " 

"  Yes,  wicked  men  are  always  ready 


Women  Helpers.  171 

to  yield  to  temptation.  They  give  good 
women  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  but  with 
their  help  men  will  do  better  the  next 
century.  At  any  rate  the  women  of  the 
twentieth  century  will  be  thankful  for 
the  pioneer  workers  on  the  two  great 
questions.  Did  not  women  prepare  the 
way  for  their  sisters  now  to  rise  in  the 
scale  of  intelligence  and  virtue,  making 
better  wives  and  mothers;  better  home 
keepers;  more  useful  women  in  the 
world?" 


12 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

USEFUL   TRADES    AND    DOMESTIC    SCIENCE. 

The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom  ;  and 
the  knowledge  of  the  holy  is  understanding. — PROVERBS, 
9:  10. 

"  Massa  George,  will  de  white  folks 
ebber  respect  us  colored  folks?  " 

"  It  will  depend  on  how  well  we 
behave  ourselves,"  said  George,  thought 
fully.  * '  We  must  not  expect  too  much 
at  first.  We  should  begin  right,  live 
sober,  upright  lives,  and  be  respectable 
in  our  conduct.  Our  young  people 
should  be  trained  in  useful  trades  and 
domestic  science,  and  attendance  at 
such  schools  should  be  compulsory. 


Useful  Trades  and  Domestic  Science.   173 

Domestic  economy  is  more  important  to 
us  than  political.  It  begins  in  the  home. 
The  training  and  discipline  to  be  had  in 
industrial  schools  is  needed  to  make  us 
more  steady  and  persevering.  We  in 
cline  too  much  to  change  from  one  kind 
of  work  to  another.  We  want  no  caste 
education.  It  is  brains,  not  blood  or  titles 
or  wealth  that  make  men  great  and 
good  in  this  world.  Only  consistent, 
Christian  character  can  do  that." 

All  did  not  possess  the  brains  George 
had.  By  his  perseverance  and  hard 
study,  he  was  becoming  a  useful  man. 
He  taught  his  people  to  respect  honest 
labor,  and  not  to  look  down  on  the  man 
or  woman  who  is  trying  to  earn  a  living 
in  any  useful  employment. 

' '  We  should  not  encourage  an  aristo 
cracy  of  blood  or  money  in  this  repub- 


174  Free  at  Last. 

lican  land  of  ours, "  said  George,  ' '  \ve 
want  to  dignify  labor  and  make  it  re 
spectable.  We  must  admit  that  we  had 
something  to  do  in  fostering  the  idea  of 
an  aristocracy.  It  is  one  of  the  things 
we  learned  well  in  slavery  which  created 
an  aristocracy.  We  looked  up  to  the 
white  man  who  had  money  and  slaves. 
He  had  influence.  Our  people  rather 
liked  big  folks  and  sometimes  quarreled 
over  the  respectability  of  masters  and 
mistresses,  their  riches  and  blood,  and 
if  there  was  a  colonel  or  judge  connected 
with  our  masters'  families,  we  were 
proud  to  tell  it,  and  took  credit  to  our 
selves  on  account  of  it. 

"  Men  transmitted  their  habits  to  their 
children  and  servants,  and  this  accounts 
for  so  much  intemperance  and  vice 
among  us  to-day.  .  In  this  free  land, 


Useful  Trades  and  Domestic  Science.   175 

every  man  has  a  chance,  if  he  behave 
himself,  be  he  a  rail-splitter,  a  tanner 
or  a  tailor,  if  only  he  is  upright,  intelli 
gent  and  honest,  and  does  his  work 
well.  It  is  so  much  stock  in  trade." 

Here  a  man  came  in  to  tell  of  another 
sad  lynching. 

A  white  man  sold  a  black  man  a 
horse  that  broke  into  the  white  man's 
pasture  and  did  some  damage.  The 
white  man  told  the  black  man  to  keep 
the  horse  out,  but  he  got  into  the  corn 
field  a  second  time  and  the  white  man 
kept  the  horse.  The  black  man,  taking 
his  gun,  went  and  demanded  his  horse, 
but  the  white  man  refused.  The  black 
man  came  the  third  time  and  with  pro 
fane  words  demanded  his  horse.  The 
white  man  shot  him  and  followed  him 
and  shot  over  his  lifeless  body.  Nothing 


1 76  Free  at  Last. 

was  done  with  him.  He  was  afraid  of 
a  colored  woman  who  had  seen  him 
shoot  the  black  man.  When  the  shoot 
ing  was  found  out,  a  posse  of  white  men 
went  to  her  home,  and  put  a  rope 
around  her  neck,  drew  her  up  and  tried 
to  force  her  to  tell  who  the  man  was. 
She  begged  the  mob  to  let  her  down.  A 
man  suggested  that  they  give  her  a 
severe  whipping,  to  which  all  agreed, 
and  they  fell  to  and  beat  her,  and  shot 
off  guns  over  her  head.  She  appealed  to 
the  colored  people  for  protection.  Word 
having  spread  that  she  was  lynched,  a 
number  of  colored  men  started  to  hunt 
for  her  body,  and  when  they  found  her 
they  took  her  to  town  and  made  com 
plaint  to  the  sheriff.  The  County  At 
torney  refused  to  receive  the  complaint 
from  the  viclim,  although  she  told  who 


Useful  Trades  and  Domestic  Science.   177 

the  men  were  who  strung  her  up  to  the 
limb  of  a  tree ;  that  the  men  might  whip 
her.  The  officials  told  her  and  her 
protectors  that  they  would  lock  them 
up  if  they  did  not  stop  telling  lies  on 
nice  white  men.  Every  man  that  came 
with  her  was  spotted,  so  the  mob  could 
wreak  its  vengeance  upon  them.  The 
mob  then  visited  her  brother,  a  school 
trustee  and  a  hard  working  farmer,  and 
placed  ropes  around  their  necks,  and 
punched  them  with  guns  and  made  them 
tell  the  names  of  every  man  that  went 
to  rescue  the  girl.  After  kicking  and 
abusing  them  some  time  the  leader 

asked:   "  Do  you niggers  want  to 

pray?" 

"  Yes,  boss,"  they  replied. 

Another  of  the  mob  said,  ' '  You  have 
had  too  much  time   to   pray   already." 


1 78  Free  at  Last. 

1 '  String  them  up,  boys,  said  the  lead 
er."  And  up  they  went,  without  trial 
or  jury,  two  on  one  limb.  The  limb 
bent  and  their  legs  were  tied  up  to  their 
thighs,  so  their  bodies  would  swing  clear 
of  the  ground.  Their  tongues  were  pro 
truding  from  their  mouths,  and  their 
eyes  from  their  sockets.  They  died  by 
strangulation,  and  with  great  suffering. 
The  three  lifeless  bodies  presented  a 
horrible  and  ghastly  sight.  Two  hundred 
blacks  and  whites  witnessed  this  mob. 
The  coroner's  jury  rendered  the  usual 
verdict;  "  Death  by  parties  to  the  jury 
unknown/' 

The  justice  knew  the  names  of  half 
the  mob  who  committed  the  terrible 
deed,  five  of  whom  were  present  looking 
at  the  work  they  had  done;  and  all  the 
county  officers  approved  of  what  the 
mob  had  done. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

AN    ELOQUENT   ADDRESS. 

"  Come  all  ye  men  who  love  the  right, 
Keep  in  de  middle  ob  de  road. 
Come  aid  us  in  this  glorious  fight, 
Keep  in  de  middle  ob  de  road. 
We'll  hurl  the  rum-king  from  the  throne, 
Then,  God,  the  Lord,  shall  have  his  own, 
And  liberty  to  all  make  known, 
Keep  in  de  middle  ob  de  road. 
Den  children,  keep  in  de  middle  ob  de  road, 
Don't  you  turn  to  de  right,  don't  turn  to  de  left, 
But  keep  in  de  middle  ob  de  road." 

The  time  was  near  at  hand  for  the 
final  vote  on  the  amendment.  A  large 
mass  meeting  was  called,  and  people 
turned  out  in  crowds  to  hear  what 
George,  among  other  speakers,  had  to 
say.  He  never  stood  before  a  finer 
audience,  and  for  over  an  hour  he  held 


1 80  Free  at  Last. 

his  hearers  spell-bound.  Many  were 
pleased  and  some  were  displeased.  He 
spoke  in  substance  as  follows  : 

' '  FELLOW  CITIZENS  :  Do  you  want 
protection  to  your  homes?  You  now 
have  an  opportunity  of  voting  for  an 
amendment  to  our  constitution  forever 
prohibiting  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
liquors  in  this  State.  The  legislature 
has  submitted  the  question  to  the  people, 
who,  by  their  votes,  will  decide  for  or 
against  it.  The  right  of  self  protection 
is  paramount  to  all  others.  The  supreme 
court  has  decided  that  states  have  the 
right  to  prohibit  the  traffic  in  liquors 
as  a  menace  to  our  government.  It 
fills  the  land  with  pauperism  and  makes 
men  vicious  and  insane,  ready  to  com 
mit  every  foul  crime.  It  imposes  heavy 
taxation  on  the  virtuous  and  industrious, 


An  Eloquent  Address.  181 

and  unfits  men  for  labor  and  robs  them 
of  their  rights  as  citizens ;  destroys 
the  grain  God  has  given  man  for  food 
and  makes  poison  of  it.  The  private 
citizen,  the  legislator,  the  Judge  on  his 
bench,  the  minister  of  the  Gospel,  all 
fall  before  the  seductive  influence  of 
drink.  Thousands  every  year  go  down 
to  dishonored  graves  through  love  of  it. 
This  habit  is  sapping  the  life's  blood  of 
the  nation,  filling  the  land  with  poverty 
and  crime. 

*  *  What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it, 
brethren  ?  Vote  it  out  ?  License,  high 
or  low,  is  not  the  remedy.  It  is  a  com 
promise  with  the  liquor  traffic.  In  slav 
ery  times  we  had  the  Missouri  Compro 
mise.  God  did  not  then,  and  does  not 
now,  approve  of  any  compromise  with 
evil.  Constitutional  prohibition,  with 


1 82  Free  at  Last. 

enforcing  statutes,  is  what  Georgia 
needs  to-day.  Will  you  not  rise  up  in 
your  might  and  wipe  the  liquor  traffic 
from  our  State?  You  can  do  it  by  simply 
going  to  the  voting  places  and  voting 
for  the  Amendment.  It  will  gladden 
the  hearts  of  thousands  of  wives  and 
children  whose  lives  are  wretched 
through  this  blighting  curse.  Save  the 
children,  who  are  the  hope  of  the 
country.  Years  ago  you  were  ready 
to  lay  down  your  lives  in  defense  of 
your  homes.  My  brethren,  a  greater 
danger  is  at  your  doors  to-day.  A  ter 
rible  foe  is  robbing  wives  of  husbands, 
and  children  of  fathers  and  mothers  and 
of  heaven  itself.  Will  you  not  rise  in 
your  manhood,  and  crush  out  this 
enemy  of  the  home  of  the  rich  man 
and  the  working  man,  and  free  our 


A  n  Eloquent  A  ddress.  185 

State  from  the  rum  power  ?  Suffering 
humanity  demands  it ;  God  demands  it." 

* '  What  are  the  parties  going  to  do 
with  the  liquor  question?"  asked  a 
bright  mulatto  man. 

"  Keep  on  compromising,"  said 
George.  "I  do  not  profess  to  be  a 
prophet,"  said  he,  rising  on  tip-toe  and 
looking  far  away.  * '  It  seems  to  me 
that  if  the  moral  element  in  all  parties 
will  come  out  and  join  heart  and  hand, 
and  work  with  a  new  purpose  in  view — 

"  Start  a  new  party,  sah  ?  "  asked  a 
big,  burly  fellow  in  the  rear  of  the  hall. 

"  Or  reform  the  old,"  said  the  speaker, 
who  proceeded  in  a  solemn  tone.  * '  I  be 
lieve  there  yet  live  deep  down  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  of  our  Union,  prin 
ciples  which,  under  God,  will  free  us 
from  this  worst  of  slavery,  I  care  not  to 
what  party  they  belong." 


1 86  Free  at  Last. 

There  is  need  of  reconstruction  in 
party  platforms.  Would  that  men  gen 
erally  acknowledged  Christ  as  king  and 
ruler  of  our  nation.  He  hath  declared 
that  all  authority  "  hath  been  given  unto 
him  in  heaven  and  earth,"  but  men  go 
on  regardless  of  his  law. 

1 '  If  the  Bible  were  taken  as  of 
supreme  authority  in  the  affairs  of  the 
nation,  and  its  precepts  followed,  there 
would  be  less  strife.  When  the  ideal 
party  of  principle  is  formed,  we  shall 
see  the  practical  workings  of  the  text, 
'God  hath  made  of  one  blood,  all  the 
nations  of  men  to  dwell  on  all  the  face 
of  the  earth. '  An  ideal  party  would  be 
expected  to  take  up  living  issues  that 
must  be  met  and  settled  by  thinking 
people. 

"  Brethren,  we  are  part  of  this  nation, 


An  Eloquent  Address.  187 

and  should  take  an  interest  in  its  having 
good  laws  and  in  their  enforcement. 
Other  nations  are  watching  this  to  see 
what  we  will  do  with  these  moral  ques 
tions,  the  Sabbath,  temperance  and  other 
reforms  which  will  be  solved  in  this 
country,  and  we  should  do  our  part. 
And  though  government  has  not  always 
shown  a  Christian  spirit  toward  the 
black  man  and  the  Indian,  let  us  now 
show  our  loyalty  by  helping  to  make 
our  nation  a  Christian  government,  as  its 
founders  intended  it  should  be.  We, 
the  people,  should  do  our  utmost  to 
have  pure  homes,  no  matter  how  poor 
or  plain  they  are.  If  civil  government 
is  perpetuated,  it  will  be  by  each  doing 
his  part  to  make  it  pure.  "  America 
holds  the  future."  This  nation  will  solve 
all  the  questions  of  right  and  justice, 
13 


1 88  Free  at  Last. 

and  work  out  the  temperance  and  labor 
problems.  Let  us  not  complain,  my 
brethren,  if  we  do  not  enjoy  all  the 
privileges  that  we  expected  to  have 
when  we  were  set  free.  The  time  is 
coming,  if  we  are  prudent,  when  we 
shall  enjoy  all  our  rights.  We  hold  the 
balance  of  power ;  our  ballots  will  count. 
Some  think  giving  us  the  franchise, 
without  requiring  some  qualifications, 
was  a  mistake.  A  sense  of  justice 
compelled  the  people  to  give  us  the 
ballot,  and  when  it  was  given  to  all  and 
not  denied  to  any  on  "account  of  race, 
color  or  previous  condition  of  servitude," 
we  should  be  protected  in  its  free  use. 

The  work  of  reconstruction  has  not 
been  as  satisfactory  as  we  desired,  but 
in  time  all  these  matters  will  be  settled 
in  such  a  way  as  to  be  for  the  good  of 
all  concerned.  Right  will  triumph.  An 


An  Eloquent  Address.  191 

era  of  peace  and  prosperity  is  before  us 
as  a  people.  We  want  a  chance  in  life's 
battle  to  live  and  let  live,  and  to  be 
trusted  with  honors  when  deserving. 
Hard  though  it  be  to  forgive  and  forget 
the  past,  if  we  would  be  forgiven  we 
should  cultivate  a  forgiving  spirit,  and 
be  patient  as  our  Divine  leader  was 
under  His  trials.  "  Keep  the  eye  fixed 
on  Jesus."  "As  far  as  possible,  let  us 
live  peaceably  with  all  men." 

"  Let  the  thoughts  of  the  cross  and  the  garden, 
So  soften  us  all  with  the  spirit  of  heaven, 
That  we  may  forgive  e'en  as  we  are  forgiven." 

These  plain  words  addressed  to  an 
audience,  including  some  whites,  caused 
angry  words  and  threats  at  the  close  of 
the  meeting,  and  for  days  after,  George 
was  hounded  from  place  to  place,  as  the 
news  spread  of  his  speech.  Low  mur- 
murings  were  heard  which  could  be 


1 92  Free  at  Last. 

traced  to  the  idle,  ignorant  whites  and 
blacks,  who,  when  under  the  influence 
of  liquor,  imagined  they  were  a  much 
abused  people.  Politicians  were  taking 
advantage  of  the  situation  to  stir  up 
trouble  among  them.  Every  now  and 
again  cases  of  cruelty  were  reported 
which  added  to  George's  discomfort.  A 
sad  case  was  reported  of  a  woman  of 
position  who  had  a  colored  mother 
stripped  and  tied  up  by  the  heels  to  a 
tree,  four  or  five  feet  from  the  ground. 
A  negro  man  forced  the  pump  and  a 
negro  woman  held  the  hose  and 
drenched  her  with  water,  while  the 
cruel  woman  who  employed  her  stood 
off  and  pelted  the  poor  creature  with 
stones  and  tortured  her  with  a  hot  iron 
until  she  was  covered  with  sores  from 
head  to  foot. 


An  Eloquent  Address.  193 

This  inhuman  treatment  was  too 
much  for  George,  whose  kind  heart 
sympathized  with  his  people  in  all  their 
trials. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THREATS. 

' '  Trust  your  Heavenly  Pilot  and  you  will  ride  out  the 
storm." 

The  battle  waxed  hotter  and  hotter 
as  the  day  approached  for  the  final  vote 
on  the  Amendment.  Threats  of  intimi 
dation  at  the  polls  were  rife,  and  men 
were  secretly  preparing  for  the  conflict. 
Friends  and  foes  were  out  early.  Men 
and  women  and  children,  in  grotesque 
dress,  were  out  with  flags  with  all  man 
ner  of  inscriptions  on  them.  Men  in 
red  shirts  on  horseback  rode  recklessly 
through  the  crowded  streets,  uttering 


Threats.  195 

terrible  oaths  in  a  warlike  spirit.  The 
bitter  feeling  against  whites  and  blacks 
mingling  together  at  the  polling  places 
gave  vent  to  angry  threats  of  vengeance, 
and  many  refused  to  vote  with  colored 
people. 

In  midst  of  all,  in  the  thickest  of  the 
conflict,  George  was  calm  and  dignified 
and  apparently  without  a  fear. 

The  cause  was  right,  it  was  the  cause 
of  , God  and  humanity;  would  not  the 
y  God  of  all  the  earth  do  right?"  And 
though  at  times  it  looked  as  if  the  enemy 
would  triumph,  his  faith  never  faltered. 

As  the  day  advanced,  and  men  became 
excited,  they  came  to  angry  blows,  and 
a  man  was  carried  off  the  ground  a  life 
less  corpse.  Many  were  hurt,  and  for  a 
time  pandemonium  reigned. 

After  the  election  was  over,  and  men 


196  Free  at  Last. 

counted  the  votes,  it  was  found  that  the 
Amendment  was  lost.  Georgia  was  still 
under  the  dominion  of  King  Alcohol. 

Soon  it  was  noised  about  that  George 
was  missing.  No  one  remembered  see 
ing  him  since  the  fight  between  two  no 
torious  men,  Jack  Tompkins  and  Bill 
Holly.  Could  it  be  possible  that  he  had 
been  spirited  away?  Men  were  started 
in  every  direction  and  the  country  was 
scoured  for  miles  around,  if  possible  to 
find  him.  Various  stories  were  started, 
one  that  an  old  hearse  was  seen  driving 

o 

furiously  across  the  country  ;  another 
that  two  men  were  seen  on  one  horse 
riding  so  fast  that  no  one  could  tell  who 
they  were.  So  great  was  the  excitement 
that  no  one  could  give  a  straightforward 
story  in  regard  to  it. 

What  had  become  of  the  brave  cham 
pion  of  temperance  ? 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

SCHEME  OF  WICKED  MEN  THWARTED. 

George  had  been  aware  for  some  time 
that  he  had  enemies  who  would  not 
scruple  to  resort  to  very  low  methods  to 
injure  his  influence  ;  but  he  did  not  fear 
personal  violence.  His  faith  was  in 
God,  who  giveth  the  victory  to  the  right. 
He  wished  every  one  well,  and  never 
dreamed  as  he  went  out  in  the  thickest 
of  the  fray  that  morning  that  wicked 
men  were  watching  and  waiting  their 
opportunity.  He  happened  to  be  near 
the  two  bad  men  who  got  into  a  fight, 
and  while  trying  to  separate  them  he 


198  Free  at  Last. 

was  picked  up  and  spirited  away  so 
rapidly  that  no  one  knew  where  he  was 
taken. 

He  was  thrust  into  a  filthy  lock-up, 
with  the  lowest  and  vilest.  A  mock  trial 
was  held,  witnesses  were  brought  to 
convict  him  of  assault  with  intent  to  kill. 
He  was  sentenced  to  two  years  in  the 
mines. 

There  being  no  regular  penitentiary 
in  Georgia,  prisoners  were  let  to  men 
who  often  made  money  in  the  operation. 
George  was  let  to  a  company  that  paid 
$25,000  a  year  besides  all  expenses  of 
keeping,  for  a  large  number  of  prisoners, 
thus  making  a  large  profit  to  the  State. 

Being  a  scholar,  he  was  assigned  to  a 
place  in  the  mines  where  he  would  be 
expecled  to  perform  the  double  duty  of 
seeing  that  all  attended  to  their  work, 


Scheme  of  Wicked  Men  Thwarted.   1 99 

and  of  keeping  the  records  of  the  com 
pany.  Their  plan  was  carried  out  in 
such  a  summary  manner,  that  it  was 
evident  it  was  a  scheme  of  wicked  men 
to  get  him  out  of  the  way,  so  as  to  stop 
his  work  in  the  temperance  cause.  They 
boasted  they  would  make  money  out  of 
the  scholar. 

The  whole  proceeding  was  so  devoid 
of  justice  and  humanity  that  it  was  hard 
for  George  to  realize  the  true  situation. 
He  was  sentenced  without  judge  or  jury, 
to  penal  servitude,  a  sort  of  slavery, 
without  a  chance  of  saying  a  word  to 
clear  himself.  The  cruel  act  was  a  one 
sided  affair.  There  was  no  one  to  plead 
for  the  prisoner.  When  George  began 
to  realize  what  his  sentence  meant;  that 
it  was  nothing  less  than  slavery,  he  was 
indignant,  and  every  feeling  of  his  man- 


2OO  Free  at  Last. 

hood  revolted.  He  determined  not  to 
submit  without  a  protest.  He  sent  for 
the  self-constituted  officers  who  had  him 
imprisoned,  and  requested  a  hearing. 
The  men  swore  that  he  had  no  right  to  a 
hearing;  that  he  was  their  prisoner;  a 

abolition  teetotaler.      He  pleaded 

most  eloquently  for  them  to  listen  to 
reason  and  justice,  but  they  would  not. 
At  last  he  said  sadly:  "Let  me  lie 
down  right  here  and  die.  I  have  tried 
to  live  as  a  Christian,  to  be  a  man  of 
principle,  to  do  to  others  as  I  would 
have  them  do  to  me;  but  I  am  still  in 
bondage  to  my  fellow  men.  My  life  is 
not  my  own;  my  time  is  not  my  own. 
I  am  still  a  slave  to  the  appetites  and 
passions  of  wicked  men  whom  I  would 
rescue  from  drink  if  they  would  let  me. 
Has  my  time  come  to  be  mustered  out?  " 


Scheme  of  Wicked  Men  Thwarted.  201 

In  midst  of  his  pleadings,  which  fell 
on  hardened  ears,  he  heard  loud  voices 
outside.  The  men  inside  turned  deadly 
pale  and  trembled  with  fear.  The  door 
flew  open  and  officers  came  forward  and 
demanded  the  prisoner.  George  turned 
around,  and  there  stood  a  venerable 
looking  man,  whose  eyes  rilled  with 
tears  as  he  stepped  up  to  George  and 
taking  him  by  the  hand,  he  said :  '  *  Is 
this  what  you  have  come  to,  my  good 
fellow?" 

"Yes,"  said  George  with  a  husky 
voice,  "but  the  cause  has  gone  up.  God 
heard  the  pra)^er  of  the  slave,  and  He 
heard  me  now.  I  am  thankful  to  see 
you,  sir." 

He  had  a  suspicion  that  the  gentle 
man  before  him  was  his  mother's  young 
massa,  for  whom  he  was  named.  It 


202  Free  at  Last. 

was  even  so.  She  knew  of  George's 
trouble,  and  urged  him  to  have  her  son 
released. 

' '  I  have  been  visiting  the  old  home 
in  the  South  and  have  heard  of  your 
good  work.  Your  mother  was  almost 
crazy  when  she  heard  of  your  incarcera 
tion."  Turning  to  the  men  who  were 
there  and  others  who  had  come  to  the 
door,  he  said,  < '  You  laid  hands  on  this 
free  man,  one  of  God's  noblemen,  who 
was  laboring  to  save  every  man  of  you. 
You  were  jealous  of  his  work,  and  kid 
napped  and  brought  him  to  this  horrible 
prison,  and  put  fetters  on  the  feet  that 
were  so  willing  to  run  on  errands  of 
mercy.  You  put  chains  on  those  hands, 
that  worked  night  and  day  for  your 
good.  He  had  it  in  his  heart  to  save 
his  people  from  the  curse  of  drink,  and 


Scheme  of  Wicked  Men  Thwarted.  203 

not  only  his  people,  but  the  whites, 
whose  example  is  leading  the  blacks  to 
ruin.  God  bless  him  for  what  he  has 
already  accomplished,  and  may  he  long 
continue  in  this  noble  work."  Looking 
earnestly  at  the  guilty  men,  he  said, 
"I  know  all  about  your  wicked  plot  to 
get  this  man  out  of  the  way  of  doing 
good  in  the  world.  I  have  the  power  to 
rescue  him."  He  motioned  to  an  officer 
who  stepped  up  and  removed  the  fetters 
from  his  feet,  and  George  walked  out  a 
free  man. 

The  guilty  men  on  whom  he  had 
kept  a  watchful  eye,  were  arrested  on 
the  spot,  and  hurried  off  to  stand  trial  be 
fore  the  proper  officers. 

As  George  and  his  friend  turned  from 
the  scenes  of  his  late  labors,  their  hearts 
were  filled  with  gratitude  to  God  for  de- 
14 


2O4  Free  at  Last. 

liverance  from  that  miserable  prison. 
They  acknowledged  the  hand  of  a  kind 
Heavenly  Father,  who  rescued  him  from 
his  enemies,  whose  first  decision  was  to 
' '  string  him  up, "  but  they  afterwards 
changed  it  to  "work  in  the  mines." 

We  leave  our  hero  ready  equipped 
for  reform  work.  While  North,  George 
had  studied  these  questions.  In  run 
ning  a  parallel  between  slavery  and  the 
liquor  question,  he  was  satisfied  that 
greed  of  gain  and  power,  as  well  as 
appetite,  actuated  those  who  introduced 
and  maintained  these  twin  evils.  Gov 
ernment  began  compromising  with  slav 
ery,  and  is  still  doing  it  with  the  liquor 
question.  What  will  the  end  be?  If  it 
was  right  to  give  the  colored  man  the 
ballot  when  he  was  freed,  is  it  not  right 
to  protect  him  in  his  right  use  of  it  ?  Is 


Scheme  of  Wicked  Men  Thwarted.  20$ 

it  not  right  to  protect  him  from  the  in 
toxicating  cup  ? 

It  was  no  a6l  of  his  that  brought  him 
into  sinful  complicity  with  this  evil,  which 
is  cutting  off  thousands  of  loyal  colored 
men  every  year.  Will  government  con 
tinue  as  it  did  in  slavery,  to  wink  at 
this  evil  ?  If  government  made  a  mis 
take  in  giving  the  franchise  to  the  colored 
people  before  they  were  ready  for  it,  it 
is  not  their  fault,  but  having  granted  it 
these  poor  people  should  be  protected 
in  their  rights. 

The  colored  man  is  part  of  this  gov 
ernment;  he  helped  to  make  the  country 
what  it  is,  and  has  his  inalienable  rights 
as  a  citizen.  If  the  South  land  would 
have  the  blessing  of  prohibition,  it  will 
have  to  take  voters  as  they  come,  whites 
and  blacks.  It  is  thirty  years  since  they 


206  Free  at  Last. 

were  liberated,  and  what  have  govern 
ment  and  societies  all  done  to  make  the 
freedmen  more  intelligent  ?  Much  in 
dollars;  millions  of  money  it  is  true,  but 
all  this  is  but  a  drop  in  the  ocean  com 
pared  with  the  need .  Before  all  these 
wards  of  the  nation  are  taught  to  read 
and  write,  they  must  have  moral  and 
financial  support.  Shall  it  be  given? 
Shall  George  be  recognized  as  a  worker 
in  the  reforms  of  the  day;  or  shall  he  be 
ostracised  as  unworthy  of  recognition, 
because  he  was  once  a  slave  ?  Shall 
he  not  have  a  chance  to  protect  himself 
from  the  ravages  of  rum  ?  Shall  he  not 
have  aid  in  doing  so?  We  leave  the 
matter  with  the  reader,  hoping  that  the 
golden  rule  will  be  applied  and  the 
dominant  race  will  help  their  down-trod 
den  brethren  to  become  as  God  intended 


Scheme  of  Wicked  Men  Thwarted.  207 

they  should,  honorable,  useful  citizens 
of  this  great  country. 

George  needed  quiet,  and  his  friend 
Dr.  W.  gave  him  the  means  of  going 
North  to  the  famous  sea-side  resort  at 
Ocean  Grove,  N.  J.,  to  rest  a  while. 
Dr.  W.  had  spent  a  season  there,  and 
knew  the  Christian  treatment  colored 
people  received. 

It  happened  that  George  arrived  there 
about  the  time  of  the  colored  folks' 
jubilee  held  every  season.  The  kind 
ness  shown  them  and  the  pleasure  en 
joyed  by  all,  on  that  occasion,  quite 
captivated  him. 

The  hospitality  and  the  freedom  and 
safety  of  their  grounds,  no  liquors  being 
permitted,  no  Sabbath  mails,  or  dese 
cration  of  any  kind,  were  to  him  a  most 
delightful  object  lesson.  He  was  shown 


208  Free  at  Last. 

many  marks  of  respect  from  the  kind 
citizens.  Dr.  Stokes,  President  of  the 
Ocean  Grove  Association,  and  Clinton 
B.  Fiske,  the  freedmen's  friend,  invited 
him  to  speak;  and  when  leaving,  asked 
him  to  come  again.  When  he  heard 
that  the  blue  and  the  gray  had  met  on 
this  holy  ground,  and  had  shaken  hands 
over  their  differences,  he  thought  the 
millennium  was  near. 

Bidding  farewell  to  this  safe  resting 
place,  where  there  was  nothing  to  hurt 
men,  he  exclaimed  in  an  ecstacy  of  de 
light,  FREE  AT  LAST. 


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Collins,  J.S.  0338 

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